Federal immigration raids in major cities surged detentions of non-criminals, despite claims enforcement targets only those with crimes.

Federal immigration crackdowns in major U.S. cities have led to a surge in detentions of non-criminals, according to new data, despite officials claiming enforcement targets only those with criminal records. In Chicago, daily detentions of people with only civil immigration violations rose over 1,400% from early September to mid-October, while criminal arrests remained low. Similar trends occurred in Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Memphis, where non-criminals made up the majority of those detained. Although the Department of Homeland Security says 66% of ICE arrests since January involved criminal charges, the share of non-criminals has been rising, particularly since a White House directive to increase daily arrests to 3,000 in late May. Border Patrol agents have participated in raids in Chicago and Los Angeles, and the data shows a growing number of individuals detained for civil violations like unlawful presence or visa overstays.