WASHINGTON — Most people deported by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in the latest phase of the Trump administration's immigration enforcement campaign did not have criminal convictions, according to a newly released analysis based on federal deportation records, adding to an ongoing debate over the administration's stated enforcement priorities.
The report, published Thursday by researchers affiliated with the Deportation Data Project at the University of California, Los Angeles, examined recent ICE removal data and concluded that individuals without criminal convictions made up the largest share of recent deportees. The researchers said the findings were based on government records covering deportation activity during the administration's expanded enforcement campaign.
The analysis said the results differed from repeated statements by administration officials that immigration enforcement is focused primarily on immigrants convicted of serious or violent crimes. Researchers reported that many deportees had no criminal convictions recorded in the available federal data, although some individuals may have faced pending immigration proceedings or other civil violations.
The Department of Homeland Security has consistently defended its enforcement strategy, saying ICE prioritizes public safety threats while also enforcing U.S. immigration law against people who are in the country unlawfully. Administration officials have argued that immigration violations alone can provide legal grounds for detention and removal and have said some publicly available datasets do not fully capture criminal histories from foreign jurisdictions or ongoing investigations.
Independent analyses published in recent months have similarly found that the proportion of ICE arrests involving people without criminal convictions has increased since the administration expanded enforcement operations. Researchers at UCLA reported that arrests of people with no criminal convictions, pending charges or identified gang affiliations became the single largest category of ICE arrests during the current administration.
Immigration advocates said the findings indicate enforcement has extended well beyond individuals accused or convicted of violent offenses, while supporters of the administration's approach argue that immigration enforcement is not limited to criminal prosecutions and that civil immigration violations remain subject to federal law.
The report is the latest independent examination of ICE enforcement patterns as the administration continues to expand deportation operations. Researchers said they expect additional government data releases in the coming months to provide a more complete picture of arrest and removal trends.
