In an astounding increase, the arrest of immigrants in public spaces rose elevenfold during the first year of President Donald Trump's second term. This represents a surge exceeding 1,000%, according to a fresh analysis by the University of California, Berkeley's Deportation Data Project released this Friday.
The study contrasts the final six months under President Joe Biden's administration with available data up to March 2026, describing the trend as unprecedented in the history of U.S. immigration law enforcement.
The research encompasses arrests conducted in various public settings, including immigration courts, neighborhoods, and local Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) offices.
Increase in Arrests of Non-Criminal Immigrants
Simultaneously, the arrests of immigrants without prior criminal records saw a 770% increase during the same timeframe, Berkeley's report reveals.
The proportion of detainees with criminal backgrounds decreased from 72% in the 2024 fiscal year to 60% in the most recent period, indicating ICE's expanded focus on individuals without criminal histories.
This trend is corroborated by an internal Department of Homeland Security document obtained by CBS News, which reveals that between January 21, 2025, and January 31, 2026, ICE conducted approximately 392,619 arrests, with less than 14% involving charges or convictions for violent crimes.
Shift in Detention Practices
Arrests originating from jails and prisons, which constituted the majority of ICE arrests prior to 2025, nearly doubled during Trump's second term.
The escalation in arrests led to a significantly higher number of deportations: five times more than in the previous period. The Trump administration more than quadrupled—4.5 times—the number of detention beds for individuals arrested within the country.
The rate of deportations executed within two months of arrest doubled, increasing from 27% to 57%, while release within the same period—common for those without criminal records during Biden's tenure—became rare, occurring in only 7% of cases.
Voluntary Departures and Returns Spike
The report notes a 28-fold increase in voluntary departures and returns, suggesting a rise in immigrants choosing to abandon their cases in response to the system's tightening. "Perhaps... many more opted to abandon their cases: voluntary departures and returns, rare compared to expulsions, increased 28-fold," the report highlights.
The analysis also observed a slight decrease in operations during February and early March 2026, following the killings of U.S. citizens Renée Good and Alex Pretti in ICE operations in Minneapolis, which barely affected the overall deportation campaign patterns.
Trump Administration's Rejection of Findings
The Trump administration dismissed the report's conclusions. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told NBC News that 70% of ICE arrests involve immigrants with criminal records and that the agency targets "the worst of the worst," adding that "all those arrested committed a federal crime by entering the country illegally." ICE refused to comment on "unverified third-party data" and accused the University of California, Berkeley, of selectively presenting data to promote "a false narrative."
The Deportation Data Project emphasized that their analysis relies on primary ICE records obtained through legal action, with a fully transparent methodology, and that the data contradicts the official narrative of focusing on severe cases.
Frequently Asked Questions about Migrant Arrests
What prompted the significant increase in migrant arrests during Trump's second term?
The significant increase in migrant arrests is attributed to the Trump administration's intensified immigration enforcement policies, expanding ICE's focus to include individuals without criminal records.
How did the increase in arrests affect deportation rates?
The increase in arrests resulted in a fivefold surge in deportations compared to the previous period, with a doubling in the rate of deportations executed within two months of arrest.