ICE arrests surged in 2025 as criminal portion plummeted: UC Boulder Study

Though the Trump administration has consistently emphasized that its deportation efforts are focused on the "worst of the worst" criminal illegal aliens, a recent study has shown that the percent of illegal aliens arrested with prior criminal convictions has plummeted under Trump.

Border Czar Tom Homan has stated repeatedly that though immigration authorities were prioritizing convicted criminals, they would still pursue those without a record and that they often found illegal aliens in groups when pursuing a criminal entrant.

The University of Colorado Boulder study, released this week, found the percent of illegal aliens arrested with prior criminal convictions was at a 10-year low of 37% of average daily arrests. In the one-year period prior to Trump's return to office, that figure stood at 52%.

UC Boulder Study.pdf

"[W]e find that ICE is arresting individuals with no criminal convictions at very high rates and is increasingly likely to do so the more people it arrests," the study's authors wrote.

Overall daily arrests have nearly tripled since the Trump administration returned. In the year prior to Trump's second inauguration, ICE averaged 304 daily arrests. Between Trump's inauguration and Oct. 15, 2025, that figure stood at 821, an increase of 170%.

ICE, for its part, has repeatedly stated that 70% of its arrests include illegal aliens with either criminal convictions or pending charges.