Despite claims that ICE agents are rounding up “innocent” illegal immigrants, the agency’s records show that some 90 percent of all arrests last year had criminal convictions or were wanted on charges.

Just a bit over 10 percent had no known criminal convictions or charges.

A new analysis of data from Immigration and Customs Enforcement done by the Pew Research Center not only popped claims that big percentages of non-criminal illegals were being arrested, but it showed that former President Obama’s administration was much more guilty of arresting non-criminal illegals. Pew titled their report, "Most immigrants arrested by ICE have prior criminal convictions, a big change from 2009."



However, Pew determined that the sizable increase in arrests under Trump was driven by a spike in those with no criminal records.

Pew reported Thursday afternoon:

Immigrants with past criminal convictions accounted for 74 percent of all arrests made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in fiscal 2017, according to data from the agency. The remainder were classified as “non-criminal” arrestees, including 16 percent with pending criminal charges and 11 percent with no known criminal convictions or charges.

The profile of ICE arrestees has changed considerably in the past eight years: In fiscal 2009, the earliest year with comparable data, immigrants without past criminal convictions accounted for the majority (61 percent) of those arrested by the agency.

Overall, the number of ICE arrests decreased sharply during that span, from 297,898 in 2009 (the year President Barack Obama came into office) to 143,470 in 2017 (when President Donald Trump took office). However, last year’s total represented a 30 percent increase from the year before, with most of the increase coming after Trump signed an executive order to step up enforcement.



ICE has made no secret that it will arrest a non-criminal illegal when them come across them in their searches for criminal illegals. The agency has noted that by crossing the border illegally and without documentation, they immigrant has broken U.S. law and is deportable.

Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner's "Washington Secrets" columnist, can be contacted at pbedard@washingtonexaminer.com