Oregon Sees Surge in ICE Arrests as Nearly Half Detained Have No Criminal Record

As the Trump Administration ramps up immigration arrests, an increasing number of arrests have been for immigration violations, despite the detainees having no criminal record. In Oregon, about 45% of those arrested had no criminal convictions or pending criminal charges.

ICE Arrests More Immigrants With No Criminal Record In Oregon

Arrests of immigrants reached over 30,000 a month by October- up from around 17,000 in February when Trump took office. Around 93% of ICE arrests could be identified by state in research conducted by the universities of California at Berkeley and Los Angeles, who compiled data from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) by state in the Deportation Data Project.

There were 1,190 arrests in the District of Columbia, compared with just seven last year, and arrests were over five times higher in New Mexico, Idaho, Oregon, and Virginia.

In Oregon, 294 of the 644 people arrested during the Trump administration’s clampdown had no criminal convictions or pending criminal charges.

About a third of the people arrested by ICE in Oregon in the nine months analysed in the research had been convicted of a crime. Another 22% had pending criminal charges of unknown severity, but hadn’t been convicted of any crime.

Less than 10 percent of those arrested had been convicted of a violent crime, defying President Trump’s regular insistence that “the worst of the worst” immigrants with violent criminal histories are being targeted.

Driving under the influence, illegal entry and reentry, assault, and sexual assault were the most common criminal convictions among Oregon arrestees.

The Trump Administration’s immigration policies are facing ongoing court challenges, new court battles, and Oregon Senators have joined the push to stop DHS from blocking legal oversight of ICE detention facilities.