More Immigrants Are Being Arrested by ICE in Pa. and N.J., But a Smaller Share Have Criminal Records

An Inquirer analysis of ICE data finds that as arrests in the two states have soared, the share of those arrested with a criminal conviction or pending charges has dropped sharply — cutting against the Trump administration’s repeated framing of enforcement as targeting “the worst of the worst.” In January, Pennsylvania saw 802 arrests but only 21% of those taken into custody had a criminal conviction; including pending charges raises the figure to 41%, meaning nearly 60% had neither. Asked about the trend, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson said: “Nobody is changing the administration’s immigration enforcement agenda.”