ICE arrests of undocumented immigrants without criminal records hit record high

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) arrested an average of more than 800 individuals without criminal records daily in July, a record high, according to new federal data. This surge occurred as the White House pressures the agency to meet a daily arrest target of 2,000.

July was the first month of President Trump's second term where people with only civil immigration violations, rather than pending criminal charges or convictions, constituted more than half of those apprehended. The daily average for arrests in July reached over 1,580, also a new high for the current administration.

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ICE enforces the law as written. What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is whether or not they are illegally in the U.S., full stop.

Enforcement activities intensified this summer after a period of reduced activity. This reduction followed public backlash to a Department of Homeland Security operation in Minneapolis, a funding dispute, and leadership changes within DHS. However, similar to previous large-scale ICE crackdowns in major cities, the increase in arrest numbers has been accompanied by a rise in arrests of individuals without criminal records.

Administration officials have consistently stated that their enforcement efforts focus on "the worst of the worst," often highlighting the arrests of immigrants with violent criminal convictions. Data indicates that individuals with convictions for violent crimes, as defined by the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics, represent about 6% of all those booked into ICE detention under the current administration, and approximately 4% of those taken into custody in July.

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Many of the individuals that are counted as 'non-criminals' are actually terrorists, human rights abusers, gangsters and more; they just don't have a rap sheet in the U.S.

A DHS spokesperson stated to CBS News, "ICE enforces the law as written. What makes someone a target for immigration enforcement is whether or not they are illegally in the U.S., full stop." The spokesperson added, "Many of the individuals that are counted as 'non-criminals' are actually terrorists, human rights abusers, gangsters and more; they just don't have a rap sheet in the U.S."

The data, obtained by the Deportation Data Project at UC Berkeley and UCLA, does not include information about immigrants' alleged crimes in other countries. CBS News has requested this data from DHS. White House border czar Tom Homan has argued that sanctuary policies, which prevent local law enforcement from transferring individuals held in jails and prisons to ICE, compel the agency to "flood the zone" and deploy more resources to such cities to apprehend targets and others residing in the U.S. illegally. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has echoed these sentiments, urging governors to increase local law enforcement cooperation with ICE to focus on apprehending the most dangerous individuals.

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I'm just saying, let's work to get the worst of the worst off the streets and then you won't see me in your cities and states like you do as much.