How many deportable immigrants with criminal convictions are released by ICE annually in recent years?

1. What the numbers in ICE documents actually count — and why that matters

ICE’s published figures describe people “on the national docket” (which includes detained and non‑detained cases), arrests, detentions, and removals — not a single stat that cleanly equals “deportable people with convictions released annually.” For example, ICE told Congress there were 662,566 noncitizens with criminal histories on its national docket as of July 21, 2024, of whom 435,719 were convicted and 226,847 had pending charges ^[1]. ICE’s FY2024 annual report separately shows 271,484 ERO removals in FY2024, 88,763 (32.7%) of which had criminal histories — a removals metric, not a releases metric ^[2].

2. “Released” vs. “on non‑detained docket” vs. “removed” — three different pools

Multiple outlets and ICE letters use the term “non‑detained docket” (NDD) to refer to cases managed without custody. News outlets reported ICE officials saying hundreds of thousands with convictions were on that docket ^{[3] [4]}. ICE’s congressional response giving the 435,719 convicted figure was describing people on its national docket (which includes non‑detained cases), not a one‑year count of newly released individuals ^[1]. Separately, ICE’s removal totals (people actually deported) and ICE detention/booking counts are distinct and measured differently ^{[2] [5]}.

3. Recent reporting: large cumulative counts, unclear annual release flow

News reports and watchdog aggregations emphasize very large cumulative counts (hundreds of thousands) of convicted people in ICE’s system or on the NDD ^{[3] [1]}. The Deportation Data Project and other FOIA‑based efforts compile granular records through mid‑2025, but their public releases cover enforcement through late July 2025 and are presented as datasets rather than a single annual “released” headline number ^[5]. Reporting notes the government stopped publishing a full public dashboard in early 2025 and watchdogs are still piecing together flows and timelines ^{[6] [7]}.

4. Data showing releases or “bookings” in FY2025 and context on convictions

Independent analyses of ICE internal data shared with outside groups (cited by Cato and journalism outlets) show that a large share of people booked into ICE custody in FY2025 had no criminal convictions; among those with convictions, most were non‑violent or related to immigration/traffic offenses, and fewer than 10% of bookings were for violent crimes in some internal summaries ^{[8] [9] [10]}. That nuance matters because public debate often distinguishes “convicted” from “violent” or “serious” convictions when assessing risk.

5. Competing interpretations and political uses of the same figures

House Homeland Security summaries and conservative advocacy groups highlight ICE’s 435,719 convicted figure to argue the agency is releasing large numbers of criminal aliens ^{[1] [11]}. ICE and some administration statements emphasize prioritization of dangerous offenders and note statutory limits on release for certain crimes ^{[12] [13]}. Watchdog reporting and think‑tank analyses emphasize that many on ICE’s dockets are non‑detained for capacity or case‑management reasons, and that the majority in detention at times have no criminal convictions ^{[14] [10]}.

6. Why you can’t credibly answer “how many released annually” with a single definitive number from these sources

Available sources do not provide a single, consistently defined annual figure for “deportable immigrants with criminal convictions released by ICE” for recent years: ICE’s congressional response gives a stock count on a given date ^[1]; the FY2024 report gives removals and proportions with criminal histories ^[2]; FOIA datasets and watchdog compilations provide raw encounter/booking datasets up through mid‑2025 but require analysis to convert into annual release flows ^{[5] [6]}. Therefore, answering the user’s question requires choosing one metric and time window and acknowledging limits.

7. How to get closer to an answer — recommended next steps

To produce an exact annual released‑by‑ICE number you should (a) specify which metric you want (released from custody into the community, placed on NDD, or simply on the national docket), (b) pick a fiscal year or calendar year, and (c) use ICE’s dashboard files or the Deportation Data Project FOIA datasets to trace dispositions and custody changes across that period ^{[5] [12]}. The Deportation Data Project datasets through late July 2025 are a particularly useful raw source but require merging arrest, custody, and docket outcome tables ^[5].

Limitations: This analysis uses only the supplied documents and reporting; the sources present related but differently framed metrics (national docket counts, bookings, removals, internal summaries), so no single authoritative annual “released” number is reported in the materials provided ^{[1] [2] [5]}.