ICE arrests of non-criminals spike in Utah
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Since mid-May, immigration agents in Utah — and nationwide —have ramped up arrests of people who have no criminal convictions or pending charges.
The big picture: ICE arrests in Utah have more than doubled since President Trump took office, compared with the same period last year.
- That's according to data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, newly obtained by researchers at the University of California-Berkeley.
Catch up quick: After a blitz of arrests during the first few weeks of President Trump's term, ICE agents in Utah detained fewer people in March and April.
- They also focused more on subjects with criminal records, according to the arrestees' listed criminal status. During those spring months, people without charges or convictions accounted for about 5% to 10% of all arrests each week.
The latest: That appears to have changed in mid-May, when arrests spiked.
- Since then, about a third of those arrested in Utah had no criminal history documented in the ICE data.
What they're saying: "Secretary Noem has unleashed the U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) to target the worst of the worst—including gang members, murderers, and rapists," a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson wrote to Axios in a statement.
By the numbers: From Jan. 20 to June 10, ICE agents arrested about 1,400 people in Utah, up from about 630 during the same timeframe last year.
- About 235 of those arrested since Trump's second inauguration were not labeled as having convictions or pending charges.
Caveat: That's about 17% of all arrests — not far above the 14% arrested without criminal records in the same months of 2024.
- Yes, but: The total number of non-criminal arrests was much smaller and more evenly spread over time last year, which suggests those cases weren't motivated by shifting policy goals.
How it works: UC-Berkeley obtained the data via a Freedom of Information request.
- It labels each arrestee as "convicted criminal," "pending charges" or "other immigrant violator."
- It also provides a state or location for each arrest; Axios removed duplicate cases in its analysis.