ICE arrests of people without criminal records surge in Virginia and D.C.
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests of people without criminal charges or convictions jumped in Virginia and D.C. in June, newly obtained data shows.
Why it matters: The numbers illustrate a major shift that came soon after the Trump administration tripled ICE's arrest quota.
Driving the news: In Virginia and D.C., people without criminal charges or convictions made up an average of 60% of daily ICE arrests in early June, up from about 50% in early May, before the quota increase.
- In January, arrested people without criminal charges or convictions constituted an average of 29% of daily ICE arrests in the state.
- Nationwide, an average of 47% of daily ICE arrests in early June were of people without criminal records, up from about 21% in early May.
Context: Those stats are according to agency data obtained by the UC Berkeley School of Law's Deportation Data Project via Freedom of Information Act requests, and based on seven-day trailing averages.
- Being in the U.S. illegally is a civil, not criminal, violation.
The big picture: Virginia is one of a handful of states where efforts to arrest and remove unauthorized immigrants appear most aggressive.
- In February, the state launched the nation's first task force that partners with federal agencies to target illegal immigration.