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Another persistent claim of the Trump administration is that immigration enforcement is focused on noncitizens who have committed serious crimes. However, data collected from DHS by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) tells a different story.
In February 2026, only 2 percent of Notices to Appear (NTAs) filed in immigration court were based on alleged criminal activity—down from 4 percent the year before. Historically, the contrast is even more striking. Twenty-five years ago, NTAs alleging criminal conduct reached as high as 20 percent of all monthly filings. While there have been fluctuations across administrations, the long-term trend shows a decline—not an increase—in removal cases driven by alleged criminal behavior. And among those in immigration detention with criminal convictions, many involved minor offenses, including traffic violations. If enforcement were truly focused on public safety threats, these numbers would look very different.
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