A new analysis reveals a sharp rise in immigration-related arrests and deportations in the United States, with a significant increase in the detention of immigrants who have no criminal convictions. The findings come from the Deportation Data Project at the University of California, Berkeley, which tracks and analyzes government immigration enforcement data.
According to the report, during the first nine months of the Trump administration, street arrests of immigrants—those made outside of jails—soared more than elevenfold. Transfers of individuals from local criminal custody to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody also quadrupled over the same period.
This surge contributed to a dramatic sevenfold increase in arrests of people without prior criminal convictions, even as arrests of individuals with convictions rose by about 30%. Researchers attribute the shift to the administration deprioritizing arrests based on criminal history, instead focusing on broader immigration enforcement nationwide.
The expansion of ICE detention capacity played a key role in this trend. As border arrests declined, more detention space became available for immigrants arrested inside the U.S. Policies limiting bond and keeping detainees in custody during immigration proceedings led to a sharp reduction in early releases—from 16% under the last six months of the previous administration to just 3% under Trump.
Deportation rates within two months of detention climbed from 55% to 69%, and voluntary departures increased more than twentyfold. The report notes that the combination of expanded detention capacity and policies that limited early release helped ICE deport a larger number of detainees, including those without criminal convictions.
While the administration has repeatedly emphasized targeting the “worst of the worst” in immigration enforcement, this analysis highlights how the expanded scope of street arrests has significantly affected non-criminal immigrants.
The findings underscore ongoing debates over the balance between immigration enforcement, civil liberties, and the treatment of immigrants within the U.S. justice system.
