Trump ICE Arrests: Few Violent Crimes Among Detainees

Washington D.C. – Data released by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) indicates that less than 14% of the nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the first year of Donald Trump’s second term had charges or convictions for violent crimes, according to a DHS document obtained by CBS News.

The statistics contradict frequent assertions by the Trump administration that its immigration enforcement campaign primarily focuses on dangerous and violent criminals residing in the United States – individuals consistently referred to by Trump and his administration as “the worst of the worst.”

According to the document, almost 60% of those arrested by ICE over the past year faced criminal charges or convictions. However, the majority of those charges or convictions were not for violent offenses.

For example, while Trump and his advisors often cite the pursuit of murderers, rapists, and gang members, the data shows that less than 2% of those arrested by ICE during the last year faced charges or convictions for homicide or sexual assault. Another 2% of those detained by ICE were accused of gang membership.

Nearly 40% of all ICE arrests this year involved individuals with no criminal history, facing only civil immigration violations such as unlawful presence in the United States or overstaying a visa, the DHS document revealed to CBS shows. These alleged violations of U.S. Immigration law are typically adjudicated by immigration judges within the Department of Justice in civil, not criminal, proceedings.

In a statement following the CBS News report, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin stated that “drug trafficking, child pornography distribution, theft, fraud, driving under the influence, embezzlement, solicitation of a minor, and human trafficking are classified as ‘non-violent’ crimes.”

The DHS document obtained by CBS indicates that ICE carried out approximately 393,000 detentions between January 21, 2025 – the first full day of Trump’s second term – and January 31, 2026.

ICE classified around 229,000 of those detained as “criminal aliens” due to existing criminal charges or convictions. Approximately 153,000 detentions were categorized as “other administrative detentions,” or arrests of immigrants without criminal records.

Roughly 11,000 of the detentions were “criminal arrests” of non-citizens taken into ICE custody due to new criminal accusations, such as interfering with operations.

In total, ICE conducted more than three times the number of administrative detentions – including those with criminal records – during the last year under the Trump administration than the agency did in fiscal year 2024, when it recorded 113,000 administrative detentions during the Biden administration.

However, the percentage of ICE detentions involving individuals with criminal records decreased, from 72% in fiscal year 2024 to nearly 60% in Trump’s first year.

The figures indicate that approximately 7,500, or 1.9%, of ICE detentions involved individuals accused of gang affiliation, such as the Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization originating in Venezuelan prisons.

The document lists 2,100 arrests of individuals with charges or convictions for homicide; 2,700 arrests for robbery offenses; and 5,400 arrests of individuals accused or convicted of sexual assault. An additional 43,000 detainees are listed with charges or convictions for assault.

Around 1,100 had charges or convictions for kidnapping, and 350 for arson offenses.

In total, the number of arrests made by ICE of individuals accused or convicted of violent crimes represents around 13.9% of the total arrests.

The document also indicates that ICE arrested 22,600 individuals with charges or convictions related to dangerous drugs, while another 6,100 had histories of weapons offenses. Nearly 30,000 of those arrested by ICE had been accused or convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Another 5,000 arrests involved charges or convictions for theft.

The document notes that another 118,000 detainees had criminal charges or convictions for other offenses. These could include immigration-related crimes, such as illegal entry into the United States – a misdemeanor for a first offense – or re-entry into the country after deportation, a felony, CBS explains.

The DHS document data does not include arrests made by Border Patrol agents, whom the Trump administration has deployed to locations far from the U.S.-Mexico border, such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Minneapolis. In these cities, Border Patrol agents have carried out aggressive arrest operations, targeting day laborers in Home Depot parking lots and stopping individuals, including U.S. Citizens, to question them about their immigration status.

The data raises questions about the administration’s stated priorities in immigration enforcement and the extent to which resources are being allocated to pursue individuals who pose a genuine public safety threat versus those who represent primarily civil immigration violations.