PHOENIX — Nearly a third of undocumented immigrants detained since President Donald Trump came back into office this year do not have prior criminal records, according to brand new data collected by the U.C. Berkeley's Deportation Data Project.
Of the roughly 225,000 people detained by ICE from January 20 - October 15 of this year, about 75,000 had no criminal records or pending criminal charges, according to the database.
ABC15's Nick Ciletti went through the database to see what Arizona-specific information it contained.
According to U.C. Berkeley, about 6,100 undocumented immigrants have been taken into custody from January 20 - October 15 of this year. Of those, a search of the database revealed about 2,700 were convicted criminals, about 1,800 had pending criminal charges, and about 1,600 appeared to have no criminal record.
Critics have said this goes against what President Trump had promised, before entering office, that his administration would prioritize criminals in the country illegally.
Earlier this year, the Department of Homeland Security sent ABC15 a statement, saying: “Secretary Noem has unleashed the U.S. Immigration Customs and Enforcement (ICE) to target the worst of the worst—including gang members, murderers, and rapists. 70% of ICE arrests are of criminal illegal aliens who have been convicted or have pending charges. President Trump and Secretary Noem are putting the American people first by removing illegal aliens who pose a threat to our communities."
