News from TRAC

Indiscriminate Arrests and Detention: Number of ICE Detainees With Criminal Convictions Drops

(26 Sep 2025) For the first time, the actual number of individuals with any criminal conviction currently detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has dropped amid rising numbers of total immigration detainees. While President Trump claims he is deporting the “ worst of the worst,” the actual data indicate ICE is locking up individuals without any criminal records – not even a pending charge. According to the latest figures ICE posted late yesterday, September 25, 2025, during the last two weeks the number of individuals detained grew by almost a thousand (996). But the net number of individuals with any criminal conviction dropped by 170, while the number of detainees without any criminal charge or conviction grew by 1,016. This shift reflects the growing tendency for this administration to lock up individuals with little concern about having any legal basis for their actions.

The latest ICE numbers cover a two-week period in September. Immigration arrests, detention, and removals are all up. The average number of daily arrests for this two-week period was 1,276. This is about the same as the level reached last June, but up from July and August numbers. The daily number of removals reported was 1,271.

TRAC has added the latest posted ICE figures to its online tools which track immigration enforcement over time on its website at tracreports.org. It’s TRACmeters at the top of the immigration section provide the latest figures on immigration arrests, individuals in ICE custody, criminal immigration prosecutions, and the Immigration Court’s backlog and removal decisions so you can always be sure of having the latest figures. Clicking on the entry in a TRACmeter brings you to a Quick Facts page showing more detail with “see more data” links to more in-depth information.

Other highlights from data updated in TRAC's Detention Quick Facts tool show that:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement held 59,762 in ICE detention according to data current as of September 21, 2025.
42,755 out of 59,762—or 71.5% held in ICE detention have no criminal conviction according to data current as of September 21, 2025. Many of those convicted committed only minor offenses, including traffic violations.
ICE relied on detention facilities in Texas to house the most people during FY 2025, according to data current as of September 15, 2025.
ICE arrested 28,308 and CBP arrested 4,056 of the 32,364 people booked into detention by ICE during August 2025.
Adams County Det Center in Natchez, Mississippi held the largest number of ICE detainees so far in FY 2025, averaging 2,171 per day (as of September 2025).
ICE Alternatives to Detention (ATD) programs are currently monitoring 181,210 families and single individuals, according to data current as of September 20, 2025.
San Francisco's area office has the highest number in ICE's Alternatives to Detention (ATD) monitoring programs, according to data current as of September 20, 2025.

TRAC’s Immigration Quick Facts provides the latest data on immigrant detention, immigration court cases, and immigration prosecutions in federal court. Each page includes several key data points alongside a graphic or table, a short description for context, and a link to more data. Click here to see more about TRAC's entire suite of immigration tools.

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TRAC is a self-supporting, nonpartisan, and independent research organization specializing in data collection and analysis on federal enforcement, staffing, and spending. We produce multiple reports every month on critical issues, and we also provide comprehensive data analysis tools.

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