‘These are not criminals’: Donald Trump’s ICE is officially rounding up more innocent people than actual felons

For the first time under the second Donald Trump administration, the largest group of people currently held in U.S. immigration detention are those with absolutely no criminal record, according to the latest official data released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This is huge news, and it completely contradicts the administration’s repeated narrative that the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) massive dragnet is primarily focused on going after dangerous criminals.

The new data, which was obtained by The Guardian, shows an unprecedented shift in focus, and honestly, the numbers are wild when you look at them closely. The official statistics are clear: 16,523 people currently in ICE detention were arrested by the agency and have no criminal record whatsoever. On the other hand, the number of those who do have a criminal record is actually lower, sitting at 15,725, with another 13,767 having pending criminal charges.

This marks the first time the total number of people in detention with no criminal history has surpassed those convicted of a crime or with pending charges. It’s an undeniable change that clearly shows what’s really happening on the ground, and it’s a night-and-day difference from the administration’s constant public statements.

ICE only pretends to care about crimes

This is where the entire narrative of the administration seems to fall apart. You hear top DHS officials constantly stating that they are only going after the “worst of the worst,” but the data says something completely different. Tricia McLaughlin, the assistant secretary for public affairs at DHS, made a statement to the press saying, “The facts are Ice is targeting the worst of the worst – including murderers, MS-13 gang members, pedophiles, and rapists.”

She also claimed that “Seventy per cent of Ice arrests are of criminal illegal aliens who have been convicted or have pending charges in the US.” This dramatic change has a former homeland security civil rights official, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, sounding off on the situation. Speaking about the increase in arrests of immigrants with no criminal history, the official said, “These are hardworking people. These are not criminals.”

The official went on to point out the crucial distinction in the law, saying, “I’m sure the Trump administration is defining ‘criminal’ really widely to say that if they are here undocumented, then they are a ‘criminal’. But these are not bad people.” It’s important to understand the legal nuance here: being undocumented in the U.S. is legally a civil infraction, not a crime.

This major shift in the data is a direct result of the immense pressure put on ICE. Earlier this year, top DHS officials apparently directed the agency to really toughen their tactics, aiming to arrest an absolutely massive 3,000 people per day, or an estimated one million people per year. That’s enough to just start picking up people who look a certain way, regardless of whether they’ve done anything wrong.