New ICE Records Show Nearly 75,000 People Arrested Without Criminal Records

Internal ICE Data Reveals Large Number Of Arrests Of People With No Criminal Histories

Newly released internal records compiled by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) show that more than a third of roughly 220,000 arrests made by ICE officers from Jan. 20 to Oct. 15 involved people with no recorded criminal convictions — nearly 75,000 individuals. The dataset was obtained and published by the University of California, Berkeley's Deportation Data Project following a lawsuit against ICE.

The records were assembled by an internal ICE office that tracks arrests, detention and deportation data. The administration stopped regularly publishing detailed ICE arrest figures in January, making this release one of the most transparent views of recent enforcement activity.

What The Data Shows

• Nearly 75,000 arrestees had no recorded criminal convictions.
• ICE made an average of 824 arrests per day during the period (Jan. 20 to mid-October).
• About 90% of arrestees were male; Mexican nationals accounted for the largest share (about 85,000), followed by nationals of Guatemala (≈31,000) and Honduras (≈24,000).
• More than 60% of those arrested were between the ages of 25 and 45.
• 22,959 people are listed as "voluntary departure," meaning they left the United States on their own.
• The dataset does not include Border Patrol arrests or distinguish between minor and serious prior offenses for those with criminal histories.

Context And Reactions

The records highlight tensions between public statements about targeting serious criminals and the realities of large-scale enforcement operations. "It contradicts what the administration has been saying about people who are convicted criminals and that they are going after the worst of the worst," said Ariel Ruiz Soto, senior policy analyst at the Migration Policy Institute.

Border Patrol — a separate agency within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) — has led interior sweeps in cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles, Charlotte and New Orleans. Those Border Patrol operations are not included in the ICE dataset, leaving a significant portion of interior enforcement activity less transparent.

ICE field offices have reportedly faced pressure to increase arrests. Earlier reporting said White House officials urged ICE to arrest 3,000 migrants per day; the new data shows ICE fell well short of that target. For context, ICE averaged 312 arrests per day under the Biden administration in 2024, compared with the 824-per-day average in this dataset.

Business leaders say the enforcement push is already affecting the labor market. "Now we’re really feeling that pain in the workforce," said George Carrillo, CEO of the Hispanic Construction Council, who warned that industries that rely on migrant labor are being strained.

Detention And Outcomes

The dataset does not make clear how many arrested were ultimately deported. DHS figures posted online show ICE is holding roughly 65,000 migrants in detention centers nationwide. The record lists 22,959 cases as voluntary departures.

Note: The dataset does not break down criminal-history cases by severity, and it excludes Border Patrol interior arrests, which remain a "black box," according to analysts.