Fact check: What percentage of ice arrests are criminals

1. Summary of the results

Based on the available data, approximately 50-60% of ICE arrests involve individuals without criminal convictions. The Deportation Data Project data consistently shows that about half of people in ICE detention lack criminal convictions, representing around 30,000 individuals ^[1].

More detailed breakdowns reveal that only about 8% of all ICE detainees had been convicted of violent crimes, while approximately 40% had any criminal convictions at all ^[2]. This means that roughly 60% of ICE detainees have no criminal convictions whatsoever.

Regional data from San Diego shows even higher percentages of non-criminal arrests, with 53% of ICE arrests locally involving people with no criminal charges or convictions, rising to 62% in May and 76% in early June ^[3]. This suggests the trend toward arresting non-criminals has been accelerating.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks crucial context about the distinction between criminal arrests and civil immigration violations. ICE enforcement data represents administrative arrests for civil violations of U.S. immigration laws, which are not criminal arrests even if the person has a criminal history ^[4].

ICE's Priority Enforcement Program (PEP) officially focuses on targeting individuals convicted of significant criminal offenses or who pose threats to public safety ^[5]. However, the actual arrest data contradicts this stated priority, showing that the majority of arrests involve non-criminals.

Law enforcement agencies and immigration hardliners benefit from emphasizing criminal cases in their public communications, as seen in ICE's news releases highlighting individual criminal cases ^[6], while the broader statistical reality shows most arrests involve non-criminals.

Immigration advocacy groups benefit from highlighting the high percentage of non-criminal arrests to demonstrate that ICE operations cast a much wider net than publicly claimed, affecting families and communities beyond those with criminal records.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself contains an implicit bias by asking what percentage of ICE arrests are "criminals," which assumes that immigration violations are inherently criminal matters when they are actually civil violations ^[4]. This framing perpetuates the misconception that all ICE arrests involve criminal activity.

The question also fails to acknowledge that the Trump administration's stated goal is to "detain and deport a record number of people from the U.S." ^[7], which inherently means expanding arrests beyond just those with criminal convictions to meet numerical targets.

The reality contradicts common public perception: while ICE and political leaders often emphasize targeting criminals, the data shows that the majority of ICE arrests actually involve individuals with no criminal convictions, representing a significant expansion of enforcement beyond stated priorities.