Trump’s Statements on Immigration Don’t Match The Truth on The Ground
By Mark Lawless
Most everyone I know supports the removal and deportation of undocumented immigrants with violent criminal records. However, current data belies the Trump administration’s claim that they are only arresting immigrants who are “dangerous criminals” — the “worst of the worst.”
As of June 2025, Cato Institute data indicated that there were 204,297 immigrants in ICE detention, 65% of whom had no criminal conviction. Of the remaining 35%, only 6.9% had been convicted of a violent offense.
The reality is that Immigration incarceration rates have declined since 1960. According to one study, immigrants are 60% less likely to be incarcerated than native-born Americans. Trump’s campaign assertion that there were millions of “dangerous illegal aliens” in America was a lie. Now, in order to meet Stephen Miller’s goal of arresting 3,000 immigrants per day, it is not surprising that the administration has had to arrest tens of thousands of immigrants with no violent criminal record.
The recently enacted “One Big Beautiful Bill” provides $170.7 billion in immigration funding, including $29.9 billion for ICE enforcement and removal actions. As the administration further ramps up immigration enforcement efforts with this huge influx of new federal funding, the dragnet will widen and the percentage of immigrants arrested with no criminal record likely will continue to increase.
Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a6/Immigration_and_Customs_Enforcement_%28ICE%29_Enforcement_and_Removal_Operations_%28ERO%29_in_Los_Angeles%2C_California%2C_June_12%2C_2025_-_42.jpg