How many immigrants with criminal records are there in mn
Executive summary
Estimates of how many immigrants in Minnesota have criminal records vary by dataset and definition; state and national reporting suggests thousands of noncitizens in the Minneapolis area have convictions, but no authoritative source in the provided reporting gives a single statewide tally of all immigrants with criminal records [1] [2]. Federal officials cited a figure of 11,010 “convicted criminals” among an estimated 133,790 unauthorized immigrants in the greater Minneapolis area, while broader ICE and research analyses show that a minority of recent ICE detainees nationwide had convictions [1] [3] [4].
1. The numbers DHS officials are citing and what they cover
Acting statements from Department of Homeland Security sources provided to NewsNation and amplified in other outlets say there are roughly 133,790 immigrants living in the greater Minneapolis area without legal status, and of that group 11,010 are described as “convicted criminals” — a statistic that DHS sources presented as part of the rationale for a surge of federal enforcement in Minnesota [1] [5].
2. Local and national arrest data complicates the picture
Local reporting and analysis show enforcement sweeps have netted hundreds to more than a thousand arrests in short operations, but those figures mix people with and without criminal convictions and include detentions for immigration status or pending charges rather than final convictions [6] [7]. Independent analyses of ICE operations elsewhere found that a majority of people arrested in high-profile sweeps had no criminal record, and that nationwide detention data in 2025 showed about 29% of detainees had criminal convictions, with 71% lacking recorded convictions — underscoring that arrests are not the same as proven criminal histories [4] [3].
3. Statewide immigrant population context matters
Nearly half a million immigrants live in Minnesota according to state demographic summaries, a population that includes citizens, lawful residents, refugees, and people without authorization; available reporting does not translate that full population into a clear count of how many have criminal convictions statewide [2] [8]. Migration Policy Institute profiles provide methodology for estimating unauthorized populations but do not, in the pieces provided, offer a direct statewide convicted-immigrant count that reconciles with DHS’s local claims [9] [8].
4. Definitions and data sources drive big differences
Reporting shows large variation because “criminal” can mean anything from traffic offenses to violent felonies and because some datasets count convictions while others count pending charges or arrests; for example, Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse data cited in news coverage indicated about 26% of detainees had previous convictions or pending charges in one snapshot, while MinnPost summarized ICE’s 2025 data showing about 29% of detainees had convictions [1] [3]. The DHS-sourced 11,010 figure is narrowly framed to the greater Minneapolis unauthorized population and is not presented as an audited statewide total [1].
5. What can be stated with confidence from the provided reporting
From the supplied sources, it is supportable to say that DHS officials reported roughly 11,010 convicted immigrants among about 133,790 unauthorized immigrants in the greater Minneapolis area, and that large enforcement operations in Minnesota have resulted in hundreds to over a thousand arrests; independent analyses and ICE data, however, show that a substantial share of people detained in recent national operations had no criminal convictions [1] [6] [7] [4] [3].
6. Limits of the record and why a single statewide number is elusive
None of the provided reporting supplies a validated, statewide count of every immigrant with a criminal conviction in Minnesota that reconciles differing definitions, timeframes, and data sources; therefore a definitive statewide total cannot be produced from these sources alone, and any single number would require access to consolidated conviction records cross‑referenced with immigration status databases not included in the reporting [10] [11].