Analysis shows sharp rise in ICE detention of immigrants with no criminal convictions

Immigration enforcement under the Trump administration has shifted dramatically toward detaining Latino immigrants with no criminal convictions, according to a new report from the UCLA Luskin School of Public Affairs' Center for Neighborhood Knowledge and Unseen, a research and advocacy initiative.

Drawing on data provided by the UC Berkeley School of Law's Deportation Data Project covering Immigration and Customs Enforcement detentions from February 2024 through September 2025, the report shows that noncriminal Latinos have become a central target of enforcement - despite claims that policy prioritizes serious offenders. Monthly detentions of Latinos without criminal records increased sixfold compared to the final year of the Biden administration, driven largely by aggressive workplace and public-space arrests.

Detention periods also grew significantly longer and more disruptive, with more frequent transfers between facilities. Most notably, deportation has overwhelmingly replaced release: Nearly 9 in 10 noncriminal Latino detainees were deported, while only a small fraction were released back into their communities. The report warns these trends may signal a shift toward mass confinement with far-reaching consequences.

Read the full report here.