ICE arrests of noncriminals surge in the DMV
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrests of people without criminal charges or convictions have jumped in D.C., Virginia and Maryland, newly obtained data shows.
Why it matters: The numbers illustrate a major shift that occurred soon after the Trump administration tripled ICE's daily 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, per agency data obtained by the UC Berkeley School of Law's Deportation Data Project. That's up from about 50% in early May, before the quota increase.
- That percentage was only slightly lower in Maryland: 55%, up from 49% in May.
- In January, ICE didn't conduct any D.C. noncriminal arrests.
The big picture: Nationwide, an average of 47% of daily ICE arrests were of people without criminal records in early June, a jump from about 21% a month prior.
- The spike 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.
The other side: 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.
Context: Being in the U.S. illegally is a civil, not criminal, violation.
The intrigue: Virginia is one of a few states where efforts to arrest and remove unauthorized immigrants is most aggressive.
- In February, the state launched the nation's first task force that partners with federal agencies to target illegal immigration.
- Feds have also accessed Virginia's automatic license plate reader system for immigration enforcement this year — though a new state law more strictly regulates the use for criminal or missing/endangered person investigations only.
By the numbers: Overall, ICE arrests are up more than 350% in Virginia since 2024, according to the New York Times. Nearly 3,000 people were arrested between January and May — nearly outpacing larger states like New York.
- Meanwhile, ICE has been ramping up enforcement at courthouses across the U.S.
Zoom in: Fairfax County, home to hundreds of thousands of immigrants and Virginia's largest immigration court, has seen twice as many arrests as others in the state, according to the Times.
- Advocates say ICE agents arrested several people showing up for immigration hearings at the Annandale courthouse last month.
Flashback: Immigration enforcement at courthouses wasn't allowed under the Biden administration. It's happened in others, but not commonly.
What they're saying: "This is different. This is a lot more public," Daniel Morales, a Virginia Commonwealth University professor specializing in immigration, tells Axios Richmond.
- "They're not waiting for a final court order. Instead, they're picking up people in the process."