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New Analysis: High-Profile ICE Raids Mostly Detained People Without Criminal Records

12:29 AM, 12/06/2025
New Analysis: High-Profile ICE Raids Mostly Detained People Without Criminal Records

Overview: A New York Times analysis of Deportation Data Project records through Oct. 15, 2025, finds that many high-profile ICE raids detained people with no criminal records. Major sweeps in Washington, D.C., Illinois, Massachusetts and the Los Angeles area detained disproportionately high shares of people without prior convictions. Nationally, the share of detainees with prior convictions fell to about 28% by mid-October, while violent convictions fell to roughly 5% (down from ~15% in 2024), challenging claims that these operations primarily target the "worst of the worst."

New Analysis Undermines Administration’s Crime-Focused Rationale

A New York Times review of arrest and detention records from the Deportation Data Project through Oct. 15, 2025, shows that many of the high-profile federal immigration raids touted as crime-fighting victories largely detained people with no prior convictions.

President Donald Trump and Department of Homeland Security officials have defended deployments of armed officers—often in heavily policed actions—in major Democratic-run cities by saying local “sanctuary” policies protect criminal noncitizens and that the operations target the “worst of the worst.” But the Times’ analysis calls that claim into question.

Key Findings From Major Sweeps

The Times examined a large set of records published by the Deportation Data Project and found that the most publicized operations were often the least effective at locating people with criminal histories, especially violent offenses:

  • In the Washington, D.C., surge, 84% of arrestees had no previous convictions, and only 2% had convictions for violent crimes.
  • Illinois’s “Operation Midway Blitz” rounded up many people who had no prior convictions—about two-thirds of those arrested—amid allegations of Border Patrol brutality and subsequent legal challenges.
  • Major sweeps in Massachusetts and the Los Angeles region showed similar patterns: in each operation less than 30% of detainees had prior convictions, and violent convictions were rare.
  • The most common prior offenses identified were nonviolent charges such as DUIs and traffic violations.

National Trends

Nationally, the share of ICE detainees with prior criminal convictions fell to roughly 28% by mid-October, while arrests of people with no criminal history rose faster than any other group. The portion of detainees with violent convictions dropped to about 5% by mid-October, down from roughly 15% in 2024, according to the Times’ analysis.

For context, in 2024 under President Joe Biden, about 63% of ICE arrestees had prior convictions and 24% faced pending criminal charges.

"Seventy percent of illegal aliens ICE arrested across the country have criminal convictions or pending criminal charges just in the United States," DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin told The New York Times.

The Daily Beast and other outlets have sought additional comment from the Department of Homeland Security. The new data raises questions about whether headline raids are achieving their stated goal of prioritizing individuals with violent criminal histories and whether the tactics used are proportionate to the outcomes.

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