Particle.news
Download on the App Store

DHS Data Show Under 14% of ICE Arrestees Had Violent Offense Records in Trump’s First Year

The findings fuel a dispute over whether ICE is prioritizing dangerous offenders.

Overview

  • An internal DHS analysis reported by CBS News finds that less than 14% of nearly 400,000 people arrested by ICE from January 21, 2025 to January 31, 2026 had charges or convictions for violent offenses.
  • Roughly 60% of those arrested had been charged with or convicted of some crime, though CBS notes it is unclear whether the tally includes foreign convictions.
  • Category breakdowns show 0.5% tied to homicide, 1.4% to sexual assault, 0.7% to robbery, and 1.6% to weapons offenses, with higher shares for assault (10.9%), DWI/DUI (7.6%), and drug offenses (5.7%).
  • The White House and DHS officials dispute CBS’s framing, arguing many offenses labeled nonviolent are serious and asserting the share with charges or prior convictions is closer to about 70%.
  • The reporting underscores a broader shift toward expanded interior enforcement, with ICE arresting and deporting many people without criminal convictions compared with prior administrations, a pattern also reflected in earlier independent analyses.