U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested nearly 50,000 people in July, the highest monthly total of President Donald Trump’s second term.
But newly released government data shows a striking shift in who is being targeted: more than half of those arrested had no criminal convictions or pending criminal charges. The figures show that 49,571 people were arrested in July, with more than 800 people without criminal records arrested each day on average. The numbers come as the Trump administration has continued pushing ICE toward a goal of roughly 2,000 arrests per day.
The data challenges the administration’s repeated claims that immigration enforcement is primarily focused on dangerous criminals. While ICE continues to arrest people with criminal convictions, the majority of July arrests involved people whose immigration violations were civil rather than criminal offenses.
Is it illegal?
Not necessarily. Having no criminal record does not mean an immigrant cannot legally be detained or deported. Federal immigration law allows the government to arrest and detain certain noncitizens who are subject to removal—for example, people who entered the country unlawfully, overstayed a visa or have a final removal order.
However, ICE cannot simply detain someone without legal authority or ignore constitutional protections. Immigration detainees have rights to due process, and courts can review whether a particular detention or removal complies with federal law and the Constitution.
The growing number of people with no criminal history being arrested has nevertheless sparked intense legal and political debate over whether ICE is using its broad immigration-enforcement powers appropriately—and whether the administration’s tactics are consistent with its promise to prioritize dangerous criminals.