A new report out from the libertarian group Cato Institute finds the majority of people booked into ICE custody have no criminal record.
The Trump administration has insisted its mass deportation campaign is targeting criminals.
But, according to the new report, issued by Cato at the end of last month, some 73% — or nearly three in four people — have no criminal conviction. The majority of those who do have a record had non-violent crime, immigration or traffic convictions.
The report uses ICE booking data as well as publicly available detention data and information obtained through the Freedom of Information Act.
It shows only 5% of some 44,800 booking into ICE custody between October and mid-November had violent criminal convictions, according to data analyzed in the report, marking a significant shift from the Biden administration — when one in 10 arrests were of people without criminal records or pending charges.
“The ICE data show that the share of immigrants detained after an ICE arrest who had criminal convictions has fallen in half since January from 62% of detainees to 31% in November,” the report reads. “At the same time, the share of detainees without a criminal conviction or criminal charge has exploded from 6% to 40% of detainees.”
More than 65,000 people were in ICE detention as of Nov. 16, according to data analyzed by the group TRAC.
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Adelita Grijalva has been regularly meeting with tribal leaders from southern Arizona — the Pascua Yaqui Tribe, Tohono O’odham Nation and Gila River Indian Community — and they’re all sharing the same thing, telling KJZZ: “DHS must consult with tribes. They’re not doing it now. This administration doesn’t honor sovereignty.’” -
A Day 1 executive order enacted by President Donald Trump froze all refugee admissions and the funding attached to them. -
The report, from Yale Law School’s Justice Collaboratory and the Center for Policing Equity, looks at how cities, states and counties can respond to federal actions they don’t approve of. -
Emmanuel Damas, 56, died Monday at Honor Health hospital in Scottsdale after complaining of a toothache in mid-February in ICE custody. -
Emmanuel Damas, 56, was in the process of seeking asylum after entering the U.S. in 2024 on a humanitarian parole program established under the Biden administration.
