ICE arrests of noncriminals have skyrocketed in San Diego
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ICE arrests of people without criminal charges or convictions in San Diego 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 146 people in the San Diego Field Office region.
- As of June 26 — the most recent data available — the monthly arrest figure had more than quadrupled, to 591.
Between the lines: But the share of people in San Diego arrested by ICE who had no criminal charges or convictions flipped during that time.
- In January, 64% of ICE arrestees had a criminal charge or conviction.
- In June, 72% of ICE arrestees 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.

Zoom out: Total ICE arrests in the San Diego region increased more than 400% in the first six months of 2025, compared with the previous year, based on a Union-Tribune analysis of Deportation Data Project figures.
- That's 1,339 arrests this year compared with 325 last year.
What they're saying: "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 emailed to Axios.
- "The official data tells the true story: 70% of ICE arrests were criminal illegal aliens with convictions or pending charges."
- A DHS spokesperson did not answer Axios' follow-up question about the origins of the 70% figure.
The bottom line: The Trump administration is casting a far wider net than initially promised — and San Diego is seeing an especially stark disparity in who is being arrested by ICE.
Go deeper: Noncriminal ICE arrests spiked in June


