With the recent increase in immigration detentions and removals, there’s been more focus on who the US is removing. Estimates suggest that around 980,000 immigrants were removed between January 2025 and July 31st, 2026. Most of these people had no criminal convictions.
How They Came to This Conclusion
Marc Rosenblum, former executive director of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) statistics office, analyzed public records using publicly available information. He stepped down from his DHS position in July 2026, per reporting by Stateline.
The analysis spans approximately 18 months of immigration removals. About 680,000 occurred along our southern border. Some were sent back, while others were detained and removed after processing. Around 300,000 were arrested within the United States. The total also includes about 170,000 people who agreed to leave voluntarily rather than fight their cases.
These numbers are higher than under Biden and the first Trump administration. It’s still lower than the highs of 1.9 million in fiscal year 2000.
What’s interesting is that only 20% of the people removed had criminal convictions. Among people who had been here at least two years, that number increases to 28%. Many of the convictions were also for immigration and traffic related offenses.
So What Does This Tell Us?
This lines up with Cato Institute data we covered in September, showing that 73% of people booked into Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody this fiscal year had no criminal convictions. So it doesn’t appear they are removing “the worst of the worst.” That is what DHS says it is targeting. Rosenblum said the data doesn’t support removing the “worst of the worst.”
This information can also cast doubt on some of DHS’s claims about self-deportations. Earlier this year, they announced that over 2.2 million people have “voluntarily” left the country. This seemed to come from a survey of how much the immigrant population has decreased. Rosenblum calculated that somewhere between 310,000 and 1.5 million people who have lived in the US for at least one year have voluntarily left the country. His estimate is imprecise because it uses Mexican census data on returning citizens to project departures for other nationalities.
If you’re an immigrant or have family members who are, know that having no criminal record may not protect you from being removed.
As always, ILBSG actively monitors ongoing U.S. immigration news. If you have questions about any U.S. immigration related issue, contact us. Working with an experienced attorney ensures you get the right advice based on the most recent laws. In an ever-evolving immigration policy landscape, it’s particularly critical you get the right advice.