Nearly half of migrants arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the weeks following two fatal shootings in Minnesota had no criminal record, according to data obtained by the Deportation Data Project and analysed by The Independent.
Between 24 January, the day Alex Pretti was killed, and 10 March, approximately 41 per cent of those detained had no criminal charges. The data comes after President Donald Trump and border czar Tom Homan signalled a softer approach, prioritising criminal aliens, public safety threats and national security threats.
However, Homan added that anyone in the country illegally remained a target. Overall, one-third of arrests had a criminal record, while 29 per cent had pending charges. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) disputed the figures, claiming 70 per cent of ICE arrests were criminal illegal aliens, but did not provide supporting data.
Despite officials asserting the ‘worst of the worst’ were being deported, internal data obtained by CBS News showed less than 14 per cent of nearly 400,000 immigrants arrested had violent criminal charges. Reports also emerged of non-criminal individuals being detained, including a US citizen child sent to Mexico after her undocumented parents were deported.
The arrests were partly driven by a quota policy set by White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, who aimed for 3,000 ICE arrests per day last year, leading to pressure on officers to meet targets.
