ICE Has Already Deported Over 16,000 People This Year in San Diego Alone — But Who Are They Really Targeting?

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has quietly deported more than 16,000 people from San Diego County in just the first three months of this year, according to a letter the agency sent to Rep. Mike Levin. Yet ICE refused to provide key details about the detainees’ criminal histories, leaving serious questions about who is actually being targeted in these aggressive operations.

The letter, obtained by Times of San Diego, states ICE has “unambiguous statutory authority” to remove anyone unlawfully present in the U.S., regardless of their criminal record. This broad justification echoes the Trump administration’s pledge to go after the “worst of the worst” immigrants, but mounting evidence suggests the reality is far different.

Rep. Levin, who had requested data on warrants and criminal records tied to the arrests, called the agency’s response incomplete. “This letter paints only half the picture, not a full one,” he said. “How many detainees had a criminal record? That is a question that deserves an answer.”

The numbers are staggering: 10,847 Mexican nationals, 996 from Guatemala, 544 from Venezuela, and individuals from more than 100 other countries were removed. But reports from advocacy groups like the American Immigration Council reveal that two-thirds of ICE’s “at-large” arrests during the winter involved people with no criminal record at all. Of those arrested, only 17 percent had prior convictions, and just a third of those were deemed serious offenders.

Rep. Scott Peters echoed the concern: “Are these 16,000 removals truly the ‘worst of the worst,’ or is this just a numbers game to meet detention quotas imposed by Stephen Miller and the White House?” The question cuts to the core of the administration’s immigration enforcement strategy — mass deportations under the guise of public safety.

San Diego County itself is pushing back. It recently filed a federal lawsuit after ICE blocked a public health inspection of the Otay Mesa Detention Center, where detainees have reported freezing conditions, untreated medical issues, and inedible food. Even when local health officials were allowed limited access, they were denied full inspections and confidential interviews with detainees.

Rep. Sara Jacobs condemned ICE’s tactics as “an attempt to eliminate all forms of legal immigration,” calling the agency’s letter “a joke.” She stressed that the thousands removed include “our friends, neighbors, and hardworking people” who deserve due process, not to be “disappeared without a trace.”

ICE’s acting director Todd Lyons defended the agency’s actions, claiming that waiting to deport until after an immigrant commits a crime “defies common sense” and abdicates the government’s responsibility to protect its citizens. However, this justification ignores the fact that many deported individuals have no criminal record and that ICE’s own data remains opaque.

Rep. Juan Vargas slammed the administration’s “mass deportation agenda” for tearing families apart and sowing fear. “This lack of accountability and clarity from ICE is unacceptable. We need answers, and we will continue to demand them,” he said.

This latest disclosure exposes the ongoing crisis of unchecked immigration enforcement under the Trump administration. ICE’s refusal to provide transparent data on who is being targeted fuels suspicion that the agency is prioritizing quotas over justice, ripping apart communities without regard for due process or human dignity. The public deserves to know the full story — not just the sanitized version ICE chooses to share.