ICE detention hits 65,135; nearly half have no criminal record, official data show
As of Nov. 16, ICE held 65,135 people, of whom 48% (30,986) had no U.S. criminal charges or convictions, 26% (17,171) had convictions and 26% (16,978) had pending charges; 52,510 detainees were initially arrested by ICE and 12,625 were CBP transfers, and ICE-recorded non‑criminal arrestees surged 2,143% from Jan. 26 to Nov. 16 and now, for the first time, outnumber those with convictions. FOIA-derived reporting and local data show average daily arrests rising and the administration broadening arrest targets to include more non‑criminal or “collateral” arrests with multiple agencies assisting, though DHS disputes the reported pace and has stopped publicly sharing enforcement data, and some judges have ordered releases or halted warrantless arrests.
đź“Ś Key Facts
- As of Nov. 16, ICE held 65,135 people; 48% (30,986) lacked any U.S. criminal charges or convictions, while 26% (17,171) had criminal convictions and 26% (16,978) had pending criminal charges.
- Non‑criminal detainees initially arrested by ICE surged 2,143% from Jan. 26 (945) to Nov. 16 (21,194); overall custody origin shows 52,510 detainees were initially arrested by ICE and 12,625 were transfers from CBP.
- Recent months show a shifting enforcement mix: from Sept. 21 to Nov. 16 non‑criminal detainees rose by about one‑third while the convicted cohort stayed nearly flat, and for the first time non‑criminal ICE arrestees outnumber those with convictions; historically (Jan. 20–Oct. 15) 66% had charges/convictions but that share has fallen since April; about 7% of detainees were convicted of violent crimes.
- FOIA-obtained ICE data show average daily arrests of about 821 from Jan. 20 to Oct. 15, rising to roughly 1,100 per day in recent weeks; DHS disputes that pace, says it recorded nearly 579,000 arrests since Jan. 20 (~1,800 per day), and has stopped publicly sharing enforcement data.
- The administration has broadened arrest targets to include more non‑criminal and “collateral” arrests, and officials say a majority of those arrested in recent operations do not have other criminal violations.
- Local enforcement sweeps produced sharp city-level spikes in non‑criminal arrests: Chicago non‑criminal book‑ins rose from ~3/day in early Sept to >45/day by mid‑Oct (~1,400%); Washington, D.C. non‑criminal detentions peaked at ~37/day in late Aug with <10/day having charges; Los Angeles saw 63% of initial detainees without criminal records in June–July; Memphis had >50% non‑criminal detentions in early Oct; Portland showed an approximately even split among convictions, pending charges and civil‑only violations.
- Multiple federal and local partners — including Border Patrol, Secret Service, DEA, IRS and local law‑enforcement partners — assisted ICE operations, and courts have pushed back: a Chicago judge ordered about 600 people released over warrantless arrests and a D.C. judge has halted warrantless ICE arrests after a surge.
đź“Š Relevant Data
Undocumented immigrants have substantially lower crime rates than native-born citizens and legal immigrants across a range of felony offenses, with US-born citizens over 2 times more likely to be arrested for violent crimes, 2.5 times more likely for drug crimes, and over 4 times more likely for property crimes based on Texas data from 2012-2018.
Comparing crime rates between undocumented immigrants, legal immigrants, and native-born citizens in Texas — Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
Approximately one in three American adults (about 33%) has a criminal record, according to recent estimates.
Americans with Criminal Records — The Sentencing Project
The unauthorized immigrant population in the United States reached a record 14 million in 2023, representing 4.1% of the total US population and 27% of the foreign-born population.
U.S. Unauthorized Immigrant Population Reached a Record 14 Million in 2023 — Pew Research Center
Roughly three-fourths of illegal immigrants in the US originate from Latin America, based on estimates from January 2025.
Foreign-Born Number and Share of U.S. Population at All-Time Highs in January 2025 — Center for Immigration Studies
Chicago's immigrant population increased by about 7% between 2023 and 2024, reaching nearly 600,000, while the city's overall population increased by just 2%.
đź“° Sources (4)
- FOIA-obtained ICE data show average daily arrests of 821 from Jan. 20 to Oct. 15, rising to roughly 1,100 per day in recent weeks.
- DHS disputes the FOIA-derived pace, claiming nearly 579,000 arrests since Jan. 20 (about 1,800 per day) and acknowledging it has stopped publicly sharing enforcement data.
- Administration has broadened arrest targets to include more non-criminal and 'collateral' arrests; majority of those arrested do not have other criminal violations.
- A Chicago judge ordered about 600 people released due to warrantless arrests; in Washington, D.C., a judge has halted warrantless ICE arrests after a surge.
- Multiple agencies (e.g., Border Patrol, Secret Service, DEA, IRS) and local partners are assisting ICE operations, per DHS.
- ICE operational data show that during recent crackdowns, most detainees in several cities lacked criminal records: Chicago non-criminal book-ins rose from ~3/day in early September to >45/day by mid-October (~1,400% increase), while fewer than 25/day had charges or convictions.
- In Washington, D.C., average daily detentions of non-criminals peaked at 37/day in late August, with <10/day having charges or convictions during August–September.
- Los Angeles saw 63% of initial detainees without criminal records in June–July; overall L.A. arrests have declined since summer.
- Memphis hold-center data for early October show more than half of detentions were non-criminal; Portland showed an approximately even split among convictions, pending charges, and civil-only violations.
- Nationwide share with charges/convictions was 66% from Jan. 20 to Oct. 15 but has shrunk each month since April; about 7% of detainees were convicted of violent crimes.
- Border Patrol agents participated in the urban operations alongside ICE; detainees are held in ICE facilities and reflected in the data.
- DHS’s public claim that ~70% of arrests involve people with charges/convictions is broadly consistent overall but trending downward in recent months per the new dataset.
- As of Nov. 16, ICE held 65,135 people, with 48% (30,986) lacking any U.S. criminal charges or convictions.
- Breakdown: 26% (17,171) had criminal convictions; 26% (16,978) had pending criminal charges (severity unspecified).
- Non‑criminal detainees initially arrested by ICE rose 2,143% from Jan. 26 (945) to Nov. 16 (21,194), outpacing growth among charged/convicted groups.
- Custody origin: 52,510 detainees were initially arrested by ICE while 12,625 came via CBP transfers.
- From Sept. 21 to Nov. 16, non‑criminal detainees increased by about one‑third while the convicted cohort stayed nearly flat; for the first time, non‑criminal ICE arrestees outnumber those with convictions.