SAN ANTONIO — For months, busloads of individuals have been arrested and taken away by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) outside the San Antonio Immigration Court, a scene mirrored across the country. While some lawmakers assert that federal authorities are targeting the “worst of the worst,” new data suggests a more complex picture.
Since the beginning of the year, ICE has arrested more than 6,000 people in the San Antonio area. Many of those arrested were either convicted of a crime or facing charges. An analysis of administrative arrests conducted by ICE reveals that of the 6,254 immigration arrests made in the area, less than half were convicted criminals. However, when including those with pending criminal charges, the figure rises to 68 percent. The remainder were arrested for non-criminal immigration violations.
The increased enforcement efforts have sparked protests, with opponents alleging that many of those arrested are innocent of any wrongdoing.
Criminal defense attorney Don Flanary commented on the data, saying, “I’ve seen those (sympathetic) stories and it is heartbreaking but if you look at the raw numbers, if the numbers are 68 percent – close to 70 percent of the people, have a criminal record or are criminally accused that would seem to indicate that only 30 percent of people aren’t charged with crimes, aren’t criminals.”
However, without any distinction as to the severity or types of crimes, Flanary noted it’s impossible to gauge whether those arrested were threats to public safety, something the Trump administration had said it was prioritizing in its efforts- arresting individuals who are a danger to the public.
Meanwhile, Customs and Border Protection reported that illegal border crossings reached an all time low in June.