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Key takeaways:
- Historical context of arrest volume
Nearly 300,000 interior arrests under the Trump administration – exceeding FY 2023’s 170,600 and FY 2024’s 113,500 – and on track to double FY 2009 levels (~298,000).
- Past enforcement as higher than today
In INS v. Lopez‑Mendoza, the Supreme Court noted the number of illegal aliens arrested by the average officer at the time, and scaling that today, with a larger number of officers, would mean 3 million interior arrests since January.
- Trump administration has high criminal history share
Under the Trump administration, 70 percent of interior arrests involve individuals with criminal records. Notably, FY 2024 71.7 percent of 113,431 interior arrests had criminal convictions or pending charges, compared to just 43 percent in FY 2023.
- Sanctuary policies harm public safety
Sanctuary jurisdictions undermine ICE access to jails forcing them to perform “at‑large” arrests—raising risks for the public and law enforcement and delaying removal of criminal aliens.
A GAO study found criminal aliens averaged 7 arrests each.
- Due process tailored, but still guaranteed
All aliens, even criminal ones, receive constitutional protections during removal – though not equivalent to those afforded criminal defendants or U.S. citizens.
- Post‑9/11 lessons ignored
Following 9/11, Congress strengthened vetting systems. But under the Biden administration, millions of unvetted arrivals, harming public safety and national security.
- The public supports deporting criminal aliens
A July 2025 Harvard/Harris poll found 75 percent support for efforts to deport criminal illegal aliens.
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