Numbers are also lower now than they were a year earlier when President Trump returned to office. One year ago in February 2025, DHS filed NTAs on 821 individuals based on claims of criminal activity compared with 741 today. This represented 4 percent of the cases filed a year ago, rather than just 2 percent now.

The February 2026 numbers were also lower than the Biden administration's peak: 883 NTAs based on alleged criminal activity were filed in February 2023, and 794 in February 2024.

Longer Term Trends

Earlier years also saw far more noncitizens face removal proceedings in Immigration Court on alleged criminal grounds. TRAC has tracked NTA filings over the past quarter century, and the data reveal a dramatic decline, both in the number and proportion of new Immigration Court cases citing criminal-related grounds as the basis for seeking removal.

Twenty-five years ago, NTAs filed each month alleging criminal activity as the basis for the removal claim reached as high as 3,000 and represented as much as 20 percent of all NTAs filed during the month.

The full report provides further details on these trends over the last quarter century. To dig further into all the details including specific time period, court location, where the immigrant resided, custody status and representation, nationality, language, age, and gender, use TRAC's online tool, New Proceedings Filed in Immigration Court.