Trump's claims get undercut by ICE's own data

A new analysis of immigration enforcement data undermines the claims of Trump administration officials who suggest that the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is targeting violent criminals.

Data shared with the Cato Institute, a right-leaning think tank, shows that 93% of people booked in ICE detention centers have no violent criminal or property convictions. Another 65% of detainees have no prior criminal history.

The analysis also suggests that the number of criminals in ICE custody is significantly inflated. For instance, the agency has more than 44,000 people booked on pending charges as of June 14. However, ICE refers to people with pending charges as "criminals," even for those who have not been convicted of a crime, the CATO Institute found.

ICE also appears to be charging many long-time U.S. residents with "illegal entry" to brand them as criminals and force states to expend resources to deport them, according to the Cato Institute.

The institute analyzed more than 204,297 bookings between Oct. 1, 2024, which was when the 2025 fiscal year began, and June 14, 2025.

"ICE’s deportation agenda is not what is being advertised to the American public," David Bier, Cato's director of immigration studies, wrote in the report. "ICE is not interested in prioritizing public safety, yet it constantly pretends that anyone who objects to its tactics and priorities is defending violent criminals. But violent criminals are not ICE’s primary focus. Indeed, it now has no focus altogether. That’s the essence of mass deportation: it is indiscriminate, unfocused, and chaotic."

Cato's findings also directly contradict claims made by administration officials like border czar Tom Homan that ICE is focused on deporting violent criminals.

In an interview with The New York Times yesterday, Homan said ICE was "prioritizing" violent criminals in their operations. However, Homan also said ICE would "enforce the law" and deport all people in the U.S. illegally.