ICE Deports Thousands Over Minor Offenses From Traffic Stops to Weed Possession

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is deporting people for low‑level offenses at a pace not seen in years, with thousands removed after minor traffic stops and past marijuana possession. From January through May 2025, more than 120,000 people were deported, about two‑thirds with no criminal convictions, and another 8% with only minor offenses. In June alone, ICE deported over 18,000, pushing removals in President Trump’s second term past 253,000.

Nearly half of people detained in June had no criminal convictions, agency data show. Street operations have expanded: one in five ICE arrests now involves a Latino with no criminal history or prior removal order, and in June 2025 the agency carried out about 7,000 street arrests of people with no convictions, charges, or removal orders. Advocates say many cases began as routine traffic stops for a broken blinker, window tint, or crossing a yellow line.

ICE’s push sits on new legal ground. On January 21, 2025, the Department of Homeland Security expanded expedited removal nationwide to cover people who cannot prove two years of continuous presence inside the country. Under this policy, many can be deported without a court hearing or appeal, even if they have families, jobs, or community ties, unless they quickly show paperwork proving they have lived here long enough.

ICE records this year list more than 600 people whose most serious conviction was tied to marijuana possession or similar cannabis offenses, and in three out of four cases the conviction was at least five years old. The number deported for nonviolent issues such as trespassing, shoplifting, failure to appear in court, and traffic violations has nearly doubled since January, according to attorneys who track these cases.

Escalation in Removals and Who Is Affected

Since February 2025, ICE has averaged 14,700 deportations per month. Two‑thirds of those deported early this year had no criminal convictions, a profile that undercuts the agency’s stated focus on “public safety and national security threats,” as Acting Director Todd M. Lyons often says.

Nearly half of people detained in June had no convictions at all, pointing to wide use of arrest powers beyond serious offenses. Community attorneys describe a spike in racial profiling during traffic stops, with drivers of color pulled over for issues like a broken blinker or window tint and then held for ICE pickup.

In street operations:
– ICE arrested about 7,000 people in June who had no convictions, charges, or removal orders.
– Roughly 90% of those arrests were people from Latin America, creating fear among mixed‑status families.

Policy Shifts Driving the Numbers

Several policy and resource changes have combined to accelerate removals:

• On January 21, 2025, DHS broadened expedited removal to apply nationwide to people unable to prove two years of continuous presence.
• The administration’s directives instruct agents to maximize arrests and removals, and some advisors have touted a goal of 3,000 ICE arrests per day.
• Local police cooperation has increased after 20 states passed laws encouraging joint enforcement with ICE.
• Analysis by VisaVerge.com suggests these steps have cut discretion at the ground level and sped removals far from the border.

Funding increases have expanded enforcement capacity:
– In July 2025, Congress approved $170 billion for immigration enforcement.
– This includes $45 billion for new detention centers and $29.9 billion for ICE operations—roughly triple the agency’s past annual budget.
– With more beds, ICE can detain at least 116,000 people daily, keeping many in custody instead of releasing them on bond or supervision.

How Cases Move Through the System

A common sequence for many recent cases:
1. A traffic infraction or local ordinance violation prompts a stop (e.g., broken blinker, tint, crossing a line).
2. The person is taken to a local jail.
3. Local officers hold the person for ICE pickup.
4. If the individual cannot quickly prove two years’ continuous presence, they may face expedited removal without a court hearing.
5. Others enter regular immigration proceedings, but with only about 800 immigration judges nationwide, backlogs keep people detained longer.

This flow has been amplified by the increase in detention space and the reduced discretion emphasized by new policies.

Community Impact and Legal Pushback

For families, the speed of removal leaves little time to gather proof of two years’ presence, enroll children in new plans, or find legal help. Lawyers say many clients were stopped for driving without a license in states where they cannot get one, then transferred to ICE custody.

Faith groups and community organizations report:
– Parents missing school pickups after sudden arrests.
– Erosion of trust in local police and city services.
– Heightened fear among mixed‑status households that a routine stop can become a transfer to detention and, days later, a removal flight.

Legal and advocacy organizations, including the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project and Americans for Immigrant Justice, warn the widened deportation pipeline cuts off due process. The ACLU has sued to block the expanded expedited removal policy, arguing it violates the law and the Constitution. Those cases could change how far ICE can go, but for now removals continue at a rapid pace under current rules.

Supporters of the tougher stance argue:
– It deters illegal entry and protects communities.
– Immigration law allows removal for any violation, not just felonies.

Critics counter:
– Mass arrests sweep up long‑term residents with U.S. citizen children, clean records, and decades‑old infractions.
– There are cases of people deported for shoplifting or marijuana possession years ago who had since built careers and paid taxes.

Previous administrations also removed people with minor or no criminal records, but the scale has jumped in 2025. The current approach revives and expands mass‑deportation methods, reversing many Biden‑era policies that had steered officers to weigh family ties, time in the country, and humanitarian factors. Under today’s rules, those factors often matter only if a person can first avoid expedited removal.

Practical Steps and Resources

If families are searching for detained loved ones or preparing for possible encounters with law enforcement, attorneys and advocates recommend:

• Use ICE’s online Detainee Locator at https://www.ice.gov to find someone in custody.
• Keep proof of address and length of stay (tax records, leases, utility bills, school records) in a safe, accessible place.
• Have a plan for children and dependents in case of sudden arrest.
• Contact local legal aid and immigrant‑rights organizations for assistance.

Important: Quick access to documents can make the difference when officers question continuous presence under the two‑year rule.

Final Observations

ICE leaders say their priority is people who pose threats, yet agency numbers show broad enforcement that reaches many without convictions. Local police partnerships and state cooperation laws have widened the net, particularly affecting Latino communities and mixed‑status households.

A routine traffic stop can now trigger a series of events—detention, expedited removal, and separation from family—that move rapidly under current policies and enhanced detention capacity. Legal challenges are underway, but until they resolve, the expanded expedited removal and increased enforcement resources are shaping deportation outcomes in 2025.