ICE boasts of numbers: reveals how many people with violent histories it arrested in Trump’s first year

At the center of the Trump administration’s immigration message, where raids and mass arrests of immigrants are presented as a direct crackdown on “the worst of the worst,” newly revealed internal figures cast doubt on that official narrative.

According to a confidential Department of Homeland Security report obtained by CBS News, fewer than 14 percent of the nearly 400,000 people arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement during the first year of Donald Trump’s second term had a history of violent offenses.

The data, which had not yet been publicly released by the agency, paints a more complex picture than the statements made by senior White House officials. Of the roughly 393,000 arrests carried out between January 21, 2025 and January 31, 2026, about 60 percent involved individuals classified as “noncitizens with criminal records.” However, most of those records did not involve violent crimes.

ICE highlights how many people with violent records it detained

A breakdown of the figures shows that only about 2 percent of those arrested faced charges or convictions for homicide or sexual assault, and another 2 percent were associated with gangs such as Tren de Aragua. The remaining criminal records included offenses ranging from driving under the influence to drug possession or administrative violations.

More than 150,000 of those arrested had no criminal record and were detained for civil immigration violations, such as living in the country without authorization or overstaying their visas. That group represents nearly 40 percent of the total and conflicts with the administration’s repeated insistence that its operations are focused on protecting public safety by targeting only dangerous individuals.

The gap between the administration’s rhetoric and its internal data has prompted mixed reactions. Supporters of strict immigration policies argue that any arrest involving someone without legal status constitutes a violation of the law and a potential threat. Critics, however, point to the large share of arrests involving people with no ties to violent crime as evidence of an indiscriminate and punitive approach.

The revelation comes at a time of intense political debate in Washington, as lawmakers consider funding for the Department of Homeland Security and civil rights advocates push for reforms that would limit ICE’s authority and require greater transparency in detention practices.

Meanwhile, DHS and government spokespeople maintain that their top priority remains national security and that a broad range of offenses, including those not classified as violent, can pose risks to local communities. Still, the internal figures provide a quantitative perspective that challenges the administration’s tougher claims about immigration and crime.

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