Non-Criminal ICE Detainees Constitute Majority Amid Rising Numbers
The surge in detentions by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reflects a significant trend: an increasing majority of those held have no criminal convictions. As the Trump administration’s efforts to deport undocumented immigrants intensify, the profile of those detained is shifting.
Currently, ICE is detaining nearly 60,000 individuals nationwide. Notably, TRAC’s analysis reveals that 43,755 out of 59,762 detainees as of September 21 had never been criminally convicted. This accounts for 71.5% of the total detainee population, a figure that challenges the administration’s claims of prioritizing criminal offenders.
The trend of detaining non-criminal immigrants has sharply increased throughout the year. Researcher Austin Kocher’s findings indicate that the number of detainees without criminal records has risen from about 850 in January to over 16,500. Arrests for immigration violations are conducted by both ICE and Customs and Border Protection.
According to TRAC, Arizona ranks fifth in the nation for the highest number of detained immigrants as of September.
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