Contrary to Blight House Rhetoric, More than a Third of ICE Detainees Have No Criminal Record or Pending Charges, data shows

Nearly 17,000 immigrants without a prior criminal record  are currently detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a group that accounts for the largest share of those in custody, according to government data released last week.

While the Trump administration said it would primarily focus enforcement on undocumented immigrants with serious criminal convictions, detentions have surged since President Donald Trump took office in January, with a sharp increase in those who had neither convictions nor pending charges.

The population of ICE detainees has more than tripled since 2024, as the Trump administration implemented arrest quotas for federal agents as part of its crackdown on undocumented immigrants. At the time, the government said that ICE would be targeting the “worst of the worst,” focusing on undocumented immigrants with either criminal convictions or pending criminal charges.

During the first few months of the administration, the number of ICE detainees in all categories increased steadily — the most pronounced change being in detainees with pending criminal charges. At the end of April, ICE maintained that 75% of those arrested were criminals.

Since setting a goal in May to arrest as many as 3,000 people each day, there has been a steep climb in detainees with no criminal record, the detained population of convicted criminals or those with pending criminal charges has continued to climb at relatively the same rate.

These detainees — who made up less than 10% of the population in ICE detention — now account for nearly 40% of those currently being held by ICE. [MORE]