Two-Thirds of ICE Arrests Under Trump Target People With No Criminal Record

The Trump administration has been lying about who ICE is actually arresting. New federal data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request shows that two-thirds of the nearly 400,000 people arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement since January 2025 had no criminal convictions whatsoever.

Even more damning: 38% of those arrested had neither criminal convictions nor pending charges. They were arrested simply for existing while undocumented.

This is not targeted enforcement. This is a dragnet.

The Numbers Don't Lie

ICE arrests nearly tripled from 2024 to 2025, jumping from around 111,000 to more than 321,000. The data, analyzed by Prism in collaboration with the Deportation Data Project, covers arrests through March 10 and paints a clear picture of escalating enforcement that has nothing to do with public safety.

Among those arrested: more than 5,200 children under 18, including at least 490 children under the age of 5.

"The data illustrates that the Trump administration's war against immigrants continues to intensify," said Murad Awawdeh, president of the New York Immigration Coalition. "This also illustrates that this has never been about safety and security. It has been about cruelty."

A Dramatic Shift in Tactics

Under Trump, ICE has fundamentally changed how it operates. Nearly half of all arrests (49%) since Trump took office have been "street arrests" -- people picked up at homes, workplaces, or public spaces rather than transferred from jails. That's up from just 27% in 2024.

For two decades before 2025, ICE relied primarily on jail transfers for interior enforcement. The surge in street arrests represents a deliberate policy shift toward more aggressive, community-based enforcement that spreads fear and disrupts daily life for immigrant communities.

Texas led the nation with about 94,000 ICE arrests -- more than double any other state. Florida, California, New York, and Georgia rounded out the top five. Six of the ten states with the most arrests voted Republican in 2024.

But here's where it gets interesting: when looking at arrests of people with no criminal record, 8 of the top 10 states (including Washington, D.C.) voted Democratic in 2024. The administration appears to be deliberately targeting blue states and sanctuary jurisdictions.

Targeting Specific Nationalities

The data reveals a disturbing pattern of ICE targeting specific communities based on Trump's political whims and international events.

Mexican nationals made up nearly 4 out of every 10 arrests (155,803 out of 395,365 total). Guatemalans accounted for another 55,206 arrests. Twelve Latin American countries combined made up 90% of all ICE arrests under Trump.

But the timing of arrests for certain nationalities tells a more sinister story.

After the U.S. entered a 12-day war between Israel and Iran on June 22, ICE arrested 270 Iranian nationals between that date and the end of July -- more than any other month under Trump. The correlation is impossible to ignore.

Similarly, after Trump's public tirades against Somali immigrants in December, ICE arrests of Somalis spiked dramatically. The administration arrested 144 Somalis in December 2025 and January 2026 combined -- nearly as many as the 152 arrested in the previous ten months under Trump.

This is not law enforcement. This is political retaliation against entire communities.

The Cruelty Is the Point

The Trump administration has consistently claimed its immigration enforcement targets dangerous criminals -- "the worst of the worst," in their words. The data proves that's a lie.

When you arrest people with no criminal record, when you detain toddlers, when you ramp up street arrests in communities rather than focusing on jail transfers, when you target specific nationalities based on the president's Twitter rants -- you're not protecting anyone. You're terrorizing families and communities for political gain.

"We need every level of government to continue to stand up and to fight back because none of this is for the betterment of our country," Awawdeh said. "It's actually going to do the opposite, which is harm our families, harm our communities, and at the end of the day, harm our economy even further."

The Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not respond to requests for comment. They rarely do when the data contradicts their narrative.

What Comes Next

The highest number of ICE arrests within a single month under Trump occurred this past winter -- about 40,000 in December and 38,000 in January. The pace shows no signs of slowing.

This mass arrest campaign is being funded by the $170 billion-plus budget DHS received under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Congressional representatives who claim to oppose Trump's immigration policies need to put their money where their mouth is and claw back that funding.

The data makes clear what immigrant rights advocates have been saying all along: this administration's immigration enforcement has nothing to do with public safety and everything to do with inflicting maximum harm on vulnerable communities. The cruelty, as always, is the point.