February 7, 2025 3:18PM 

# Is Trump Arresting “Criminal Aliens”? 

By [David J. Bier](https://www.cato.org/people/david-bier) 

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During his [inaugural address](https://www.axios.com/2025/01/20/trump-inauguration-speech-text), President Trump promised to deport “millions and millions of criminal aliens.” I have a [new essay](https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/trumps-mass-deportation-campaign) exploring this premise. In it, I note:

- There are not “millions and millions” of removable noncitizens who have criminal convictions.
- Trump has rescinded requirements to focus on public safety threats.
- Trump [is mandating](https://nypost.com/2025/01/28/us-news/trump-admin-gives-ice-quota-of-1800-arrests-per-day/) ICE officers arrest a certain number of people per day, even if the officers think the arrests are unjustified.
- One report [found](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/ice-trump-deportations-numbers-rcna188937) that only half of those arrested on one day last week had a criminal conviction or pending criminal charges.
- A [new report](https://www.propublica.org/article/donald-trump-immigration-executive-orders) not available at the time of my piece includes data showing that a majority of the 8,200 arrested do not have a criminal conviction of any kind.
- Trump [is redefining](https://x.com/townhallcom/status/1884309652042863056) an alien with a “criminal record” to mean anyone here illegally, even as he [takes away people’s legal status](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/trump-administration-ends-tps-venezuelans-face-deportation-rcna190486) to make them here illegally.
- Trump [is diverting](https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2025/01/23/trump-deputizes-federal-agents-arrest-immigrants/77914576007/) criminal law enforcement to work on arrests of low-level immigration offenders.

You can read the entire piece [here](https://www.theunpopulist.net/p/trumps-mass-deportation-campaign).

##### Related Tags 

[Criminal Justice](https://www.cato.org/criminal-justice), [Immigration](https://www.cato.org/immigration) 

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