ICE arrests of noncriminals spike in Illinois
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
ICE arrests of people without criminal charges or convictions have soared nationwide, including in Illinois, per data compiled by the Deportation Data Project at the UC Berkeley School of Law.
Why it matters: The surge came after the Trump administration tripled U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's arrest quota, and marks a major shift from the president's pledge to target the "worst of the worst."
By the numbers: In January, ICE arrested 160 people in Illinois, of whom 31% had no criminal charge, an Axios analysis found.
- By June, 61% of the 333 people ICE arrested in the state had no criminal charge.
What they're saying: "This disturbing data trend reflects what we've been hearing on the community level and on our hotline: that ICE under the Trump administration is expanding their operations and attacking our families at a rate we haven't seen before," Brandon Lee, communications director at the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, tells Axios.
The big picture: Nationally, people without criminal charges or convictions averaged 47% of daily arrests in early June — up from about 21% a month prior, before the quota increase, according to Deportation Data Project figures.
The bottom line: The Trump administration is casting a far wider net than initially promised — and Illinois and Chicago are facing increased enforcement as a result.
Go deeper: Noncriminal ICE arrests spiked in June