Houston ICE arrests of noncriminals skyrocketed
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
A federal agent spotted during a Houston-area ICE raid in February. Photo: Raquel Natalicchio/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrests of people without criminal charges or convictions in Houston soared in June, per data compiled by the Deportation Data Project.
Why it matters: The surge follows a national trend that coincides with the Trump administration's decision on May 21 to triple ICE's arrest quota.
By the numbers: In January, ICE agents arrested 1,077 total people in the Houston Field Office region, which includes all of Southeast Texas and areas close to Waco.
- As of June 26 — the most recent data available — the monthly arrest figure increased 73% to 1,868.
Zoom in: The monthly share of Greater Houston ICE detainees who had no criminal charges or convictions nearly quintupled.
- In January, 141 (13% of all arrests) of Houston-area ICE detainees had a no criminal charge or conviction.
- In June, 691 (37%) of ICE detainees had no criminal charges or convictions.
The big picture: Nationwide, people without criminal charges or convictions made up an average of 47% of daily ICE arrests in early June, up from about 21% in early May, before the quota increase.
The other side: "The media continues to peddle this FALSE narrative that ICE is not targeting criminal illegal aliens," Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Axios.
- McLaughlin added that 70% of ICE arrests were for immigrants with criminal convictions or pending charges, but did not elaborate on that figure.
Between the lines: "ICE has the authority to arrest immigrants who are suspected of violating immigration laws, regardless of criminal history," writes Austin Kocher, research assistant professor at Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications and immigration expert, in an analysis of the new data.
- "Nevertheless, the administration has gone to great lengths in the press and on social media to emphasize the criminality of people they are arresting. Both things can be true, of course."
The bottom line: The Trump administration is casting a far wider net than initially promised.
Go deeper: Noncriminal ICE arrests spiked in June