Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown has strayed from the initial plans, as the ICE chief revealed how the administration is doubling down on detaining undocumented immigrants without criminal records. Previously, the Republican leader stated that he would only be deporting “the worst of the worst” to protect the law-abiding American citizens from the murderers, child and s—-l predators who have been living in the country illegally. Trump claimed that most of these millions of violent migrants got a free ticket to America during the Biden administration and have been living illegally ever since, terrorizing the citizens.
However, government data showed otherwise following the increase in arrests by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since the crackdown began. Now, the ICE acting Chief, Todd Lyons, revealed to CBS how the Trump administration has doubled down on deporting immigrants who don’t even have any criminal history.
During an exclusive interview with Camilo Montoya-Galvez, Lyons said, “Under this administration, we have opened up the whole aperture of the immigration portfolio. If we encounter someone who isn’t here in the country legally, we will take them into custody.”
A review of internal government data by CBS revealed that of the roughly 100,000 ICE deportations between January 1 and June 24, 2025, only 70,000 involved individuals with criminal records. Among those, only a small fraction faced criminal convictions due to violent offenses. Notably, as Vanity Fair claims, living in the United States without documentation falls under a civil offense, and not a criminal one.
This new operation counters Trump’s claims of only arresting people with serious criminal history, as ICE agents have lately been targeting all undocumented immigrants, from high-school students to people attending routine court hearings.
Lyons noted, “We can’t look at it just based on violence.” However, he also added that deporting illegal immigrants with serious criminal offences is still the topmost priority for the Trump administration.
This increase in arrests comes after Donald Trump set a goal of a million deportations by the end of 2025. The ICE chief thinks it’s “possible.”
About this, Austin Kocher, a professor at Syracuse University, told ABC News in July, “We hear a lot about the administration deporting the worst of the worst. And as far as we can tell from all available data up to this point, the data has not really supported that.”
Trump pledges to rid the country of ‘the worst of the worst’ criminal aliens. Migrant roundups tell a different story of otherwise innocent, hard-working, law-abiding, family oriented folk being terrorized by sweeping operations seemly motivated more by quotas than compassion.
— Geraldo Rivera (@GeraldoRivera) July 1, 2025
The ICE also plans on continuing workplace raids, despite the backlash over it due to alleged racial profiling. “We’re focusing on these American companies that are exploiting these laborers,” the acting head of the federal body noted.
Lyons reflected on another situation that has been garnering significant criticism. During the arrests, ICE agents have been spotted wearing masks, a move that has been deemed as instigating fear among the immigrants.
“I’m not a proponent of the masks; however, if that’s a tool that the men and women of ICE use to keep themselves and their families safe, then I’ll allow it,” the chief said.
