Trump says ICE is targeting dangerous criminals, but internal DHS document shows only 14% of arrests involved violent offenses

An internal Department of Homeland Security document shows that less than 14% of the nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement during President Donald Trump‘s first year back in office had records involving violent criminal offenses.

This data gives the most detailed look yet at who ICE agents are arresting across the United States. The numbers seem to go against the administration’s main argument that their immigration crackdown focuses on the “worst of the worst,” targeting dangerous criminals and violent offenders living in the country without permission.

According to CBS News, nearly 40% of all people arrested didn’t have any criminal record at all. They were detained only for civil immigration violations, such as overstaying a visa or living in the U.S. without legal status. These are civil matters, not criminal ones.

The vast majority of arrests don’t match Trump’s claims about targeting violent criminals

For those who did have criminal histories, the internal data shows that most of those charges weren’t violent crimes either. While President Trump often talks about targeting murderers and rapists, the data shows that less than 2% of all arrests involved people with homicide or sexual assault charges or convictions. Another 2% were accused of being gang members.

The document breaks down the types of crimes linked to arrestees who had criminal records. The largest single offense was “All other crimes,” which made up 30.1% of the total, followed by assault at 10.9%. A large number of arrests were for offenses like driving while intoxicated or under the influence, which made up 7.6% of arrests. Dangerous drug offenses accounted for 5.7%.

ICE made roughly 393,000 arrests between January 21, 2025, President Trump’s first full day back in power, and January 31 of this year. That’s more than triple the number the agency recorded in the previous fiscal year, which saw about 113,000 arrests. Despite Trump’s defense of ICE operations amid growing criticism, the data reveal a different story.

This huge increase means agents are casting a much wider net. While nearly 60% of arrestees had some form of criminal charge or conviction, this percentage is actually down from 72% in fiscal year 2024. When you triple the number of arrests, you end up sweeping up more people who are only accused of civil violations or minor offenses. The document shows specific counts for the most serious crimes. 

There were 2,100 arrests related to homicide charges or convictions, and 5,400 arrests involving sexual assault. Those numbers are small compared to the nearly 30,000 arrests for DWI/DUI or the 118,000 categorized under “All Other” crimes. A recent poll showed that American support for the deportation efforts has fallen to 46%, down from 59% at the start of his second term. This comes as Trump continues controversial branding efforts on multiple fronts.