What is the percentage of criminals vs non criminals being deported by trump's administration and how many us citizens have been detained by ice
This fact-check may be outdated. Consider refreshing it to get the most current information.
Executive summary
Available government and investigative data show that a large share of people ICE has arrested or detained under the second Trump administration had no criminal convictions — often reported between about one‑third and over 70% depending on the dataset and time period — while published DHS tallies of “removals” range widely from the low hundreds of thousands up to claims of 500,000–600,000-plus deportations since January 2025 (DHS statements and media estimates differ) [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. Numbers reported by DHS versus independent analysts — a messy scoreboard
The Department of Homeland Security has publicly touted very large totals — DHS press releases claim more than 527,000 and later more than 605,000 removals or that Trump has deported more than 593,000 people since taking office — but independent news analyses and watchdogs say the numbers and methods are inconsistent, and DHS stopped publishing detailed historical reporting in the same way as prior administrations, making apples‑to‑apples comparison difficult [5] [3] [4] [6].
2. How “criminal” is defined — different datasets, different answers
Multiple data projects show that most people ICE booked into detention under Trump’s return had no criminal convictions: the Deportation Data Project and related analyses show more than one‑third of ICE arrests in the first nine months had no criminal history, TRAC and other analyses report figures like roughly 65–72% of detainees without convictions in various snapshots, and a Cato Institute data release put violent‑crime convictions at a single‑digit share of those with convictions [1] [2] [7] [8].
3. The short answer to your question on “percentage criminals vs non‑criminals”
There is no single authoritative percentage in public reporting because multiple, partly overlapping sources measure different slices (book‑ins, people in detention at a moment in time, removals, arrests over different windows). Reported figures include: ~36% of ICE arrests lacking criminal history over the first nine months (Deportation Data Project reporting), about 70% of detainees in some datasets had no conviction in certain local analyses, and analyses citing agency internal data put the share of those without convictions at roughly 65–72% depending on date and method [1] [9] [2].
4. Removals (deportations): administration claims vs watchdog estimates
DHS and the administration have released optimistic cumulative removal counts (hundreds of thousands) and touted millions leaving via “self‑deportation” programs; independent outlets and analysts caution those totals mix voluntary departures, programmatic incentives and formal removals and that the pace still falls short of stated goals like 1 million per year. Some media reporting places DHS claims at ~400,000–600,000 removals since Jan. 2025 while noting the agency stopped its prior detailed transparency, complicating verification [6] [3] [4] [10].
5. How many U.S. citizens have been detained by ICE?
Available sources document multiple cases and local reporting of U.S. citizens wrongfully detained and note congressional hearings and lawsuits, but they do not provide a comprehensive national tally of how many U.S. citizens have been detained under current operations. Investigations and local outlets have highlighted individual cases and state‑level complaints, and some reporting describes sweeps that detained bystanders or citizens temporarily, but a national number is not provided in the cited materials (not found in current reporting; see [14]; [15]; [13]1).
6. Why the figures vary — methodology, scope and incentives
Variation stems from (a) different definitions (arrest vs booking vs detention vs removal), (b) inclusion or exclusion of voluntary departures and CBP expulsions, (c) time windows and fiscal vs calendar year reporting, and (d) deliberate messaging: DHS/White House statements emphasize high totals to show policy success while researchers and watchdogs emphasize conviction status and transparency gaps [6] [10] [11] [12].
7. Competing narratives and the politics behind the numbers
The administration frames enforcement as targeting “the worst of the worst” and highlights removals and self‑deportation incentives; independent research and media reporting show a substantial portion of those detained or removed had no criminal convictions and that violent‑crime convictions make up a small share of the convicted subset. That conflict reflects differing goals: political messaging of deterrence and enforcement versus public‑interest scrutiny focused on due process, wrongful detention and the human cost [2] [8] [10].
8. What to watch next — data fixes and accountability levers
Key indicators to watch are updated ICE and OHSS monthly tables (which the Homeland Statistical office says it updates monthly), final FY reports from ICE, and independent datasets such as the Deportation Data Project and TRAC which publish person‑level or near‑complete enforcement records. Those will be needed to reconcile DHS totals with independent counts and to quantify how many U.S. citizens are mistakenly detained [13] [9] [10].
Limitations: public reporting to date is fragmented and sometimes politically freighted; this summary relies on the cited DHS statements, investigative datasets and media analyses and flags where national tallies or precise citizen‑detention counts are absent in those sources [3] [1] [9].