The US Department of Homeland Security has rejected a report that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers were instructed to stop arresting undocumented immigrants who have no criminal convictions or pending criminal charges.
“This is false. The dispute comes as the Trump administration continues to expand immigration enforcement across the US.
The denial came after The Daily Wire reported on September 26 that ICE officers nationwide had been told to cease arrests of “non-criminals” for the time being. The report, citing agency sources, said officers could focus on immigrants with criminal convictions or charges and that those with final deportation orders but no criminal record would not be arrested. No one is off the table,” DHS said in a statement posted on X. The department said ICE would continue arresting people who are unlawfully present in the US. “Anyone in our country illegally will be arrested and deported,” the department said. The Daily Wire report said its sources described an apparent change in enforcement instructions that would have limited arrests to undocumented immigrants facing criminal charges or with criminal convictions.
Recent reporting and government statements have highlighted a sharp increase in ICE arrests. In Oklahoma , for example, an analysis of immigration arrests through 287(g) partnerships found that more than 1,800 people had been arrested from January through July, with fewer than 20% having a criminal conviction, according to data analyzed by the Deportation Data Project.
