Florida noncriminal ICE arrests surge
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests of people without criminal charges or convictions recently surged in Florida, newly obtained data shows.
Why it matters: The numbers mirror a national trend that coincides with the Trump administration's May 21 decision to triple ICE's arrest quota.
By the numbers: In June, people without criminal charges or convictions made up more than a third (36%) of arrests in ICE's Miami Field Office region, which covers Florida, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.
- That's up from May, when the share was about a quarter (24%) and April, when it was about 1 in 5 (21%).
- That's according to agency data obtained by UC Berkeley School of Law's Deportation Data Project.
The big picture: Nationally, 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 spike in noncriminal ICE arrests came despite the Trump administration's claimed focus on criminals living in the country illegally.
- And it happened just after the Trump administration told ICE to arrest at least 3,000 people daily, up from 1,000.
Context: Being in the U.S. illegally is a civil, not criminal, violation.
What they're saying: Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement to Axios that 70% of ICE arrests were for immigrants with criminal convictions or pending charges, but did not elaborate on that figure.
Zoom in: Gov. Ron DeSantis has pledged to support the Trump administration's efforts and has pressured local law enforcement leaders to get their agencies on board or risk suspension.
The latest: The Florida Highway Patrol will soon launch a unit dedicated to identifying and apprehending undocumented people, the governor announced Friday, per the Tallahassee Democrat.
- State troopers alone have detained nearly 3,000 undocumented immigrants so far this year, he said.
Between the lines: The sheer volume of arrests is straining immigrant detention centers across the state.
- Federal facilities like Miami's Krome North Processing Detention Center are overcrowded, with some detainees saying they struggle to access food or health care.
- DeSantis' Alligator Alcatraz, a temporary immigration camp in the Everglades, is facing a lawsuit over poor conditions.
County jails, which in some cases house undocumented immigrants before they're transferred to federal custody, have also been stretched beyond capacity.
- For example, the number of people being held on behalf of ICE in the Pinellas County jail quadrupled in the last two years, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
- At one point, 220 people were sleeping on the floor, Sheriff Bob Gualtieri told the newspaper.