- DHS denied reports that ICE was told to stop arresting people without criminal convictions or pending charges.
- July data showed people with convictions made up less than a quarter of arrests, while another analysis found more than half had no criminal record.
- ICE recorded 50,925 arrests in August, averaging about 1,600 per day, below the reported daily mandate of 2,000.
The Department of Homeland Security denied on September 27, 2026, that Immigration and Customs Enforcement had been told to stop arresting people without criminal convictions or pending charges.
Reports said officers were instructed to narrow arrests and reduce so-called collateral arrests, in which agents take other undocumented people into custody during an operation. DHS rejected that account. The agency’s public statement appeared on X.
“This is false. No one is off the table. We will continue to arrest any and all illegal aliens that come into our path.”
The department also said, “Anyone in our country illegally will be arrested and deported.” It described its enforcement effort as a “nationwide public safety surge in sanctuary cities,” focused on “criminal illegal aliens,” including “murderers, rapists, child predators, and gang members.”
July arrest data show many people taken into custody had no criminal record
The department’s denial comes amid arrest data showing that many people detained by ICE had no criminal record or conviction. Measures differ depending on whether they count arrests or people in detention, but each points to a large share without a criminal conviction.
The Deportation Data Project found that people with criminal convictions made up less than a quarter of July arrests. A separate analysis of ICE arrests found that more than half of those arrested that month had no criminal record.
Other July figures measure different populations. Data showed nearly 50,000 arrests during the month, while a snapshot of detained people found about 70 percent had no criminal conviction. Those measures do not describe identical groups.
ICE recorded 50,925 arrests in August, according to agency data cited in reporting. The July and August totals put the scale of enforcement alongside DHS’s stated emphasis on targeting people with serious criminal allegations or convictions.
Arrests continued as the department disputed claims of quotas
On September 14, 2026, DHS said, “There are no quotas for arrests.” The department’s statement came as July arrest figures showed people with criminal convictions accounted for less than a quarter of arrests.
ICE field offices had a nationwide mandate to make 2,000 arrests per day, according to reporting on the agency’s operations. August averaged about 1,600 arrests daily, below that target.
The enforcement methods also shifted. Late-summer and September accounts described fewer highly visible raids and more arrests on streets, at courthouses and airports, during immigration check-ins, and through local jail cooperation.
DHS has paired its public safety language with a pledge of “maximum toughness and maximum deportations.” Its public position remains that unlawful presence does not place someone beyond enforcement, even as it highlights arrests of people accused or convicted of serious offenses.
Homan said the agency would keep operating across the country
White House border czar Tom Homan has also rejected the idea that people without criminal records are outside ICE’s reach. He said, “If you’re in the country illegally, you’re never off the table.”
On September 6, 2026, Homan said, “Everybody’s on the table,” while also saying, “Just over half of everybody we’re arresting is a criminal.” His comments acknowledged a distinction between the agency’s broad enforcement approach and its public emphasis on criminal arrests.
Homan said on September 24, 2026, that ICE “is not going anywhere.” He added that the agency would “continue doing the job every day across this country, especially in sanctuary cities.”
