Opinion – Trump immigration crackdown is not limited to ‘worst of the worst’

President Trump has repeatedly described this immigration crackdown as a mission to remove the “worst of the worst” — murderers, rapists, gang members. But according to an internal Department of Homeland Security document obtained by CBS News, the data tells a far more complicated story.

ICE made roughly 393,000 arrests between Jan. 21, 2025, and the end of January this year. That’s more than triple the number of administrative arrests in fiscal 2024. So yes, enforcement has ramped up dramatically.

But here’s the part that stood out to me: less than 14 percent of those arrested had charges or convictions for violent crimes like homicide, robbery, sexual assault, kidnapping or arson.

Take a listen to a bit of the reporting:

“The president, for example, often talks about ICE going after murderers, gangsters, sexual offenders and rapists, but only 2 percent of the people arrested by ICE have been charged or convicted of homicide or sexual assault and another 2 percent were identified as gang members. The numbers really illustrate that the Trump administrations mass deportation policy is also impacting people who, yes, may be in the country without legal permission, but are not any threat to the public or to national security.”

Nearly 40 percent of those arrested had no criminal record at all. They were accused only of civil immigration violations — things like overstaying a visa or living in the country without authorization. Those are typically handled in immigration court, not criminal court.

When the administration frames this operation primarily as a sweep of violent predators, the public deserves clarity about who is actually being arrested.

Public opinion appears to be shifting. A CBS News poll found support for Trump’s deportation efforts has dropped from 59 percent at the start of his second term to 46 percent. More than 60 percent of Americans surveyed said immigration agents are being “too tough.”

That shift may reflect what people are seeing — workplace raids, day laborers targeted in parking lots, even U.S. citizens stopped and questioned.

This isn’t a debate about whether immigration law should be enforced. It’s a debate about transparency and proportionality. If nearly 40 percent of those arrested have no criminal record, and only a small fraction are accused of the violent crimes that dominate political speeches, then we have to ask whether the policy matches the promise.

And if we’re going to have a national conversation about immigration enforcement, it needs to start with who is actually being swept up, not just who we’re told is.

Lindsey Granger is a NewsNation contributor and co-host of The Hill’s commentary show “Rising.” This column is an edited transcription of her on-air commentary.

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