800 New Yorkers Swept Up in 'Collateral' ICE Arrests

One in four ICE arrests were of people not targeted, with three-quarters having no criminal history.

Apr. 2, 2026 at 6:18pm

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Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents have arrested 811 immigrants in New York City since August who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Of these 'collateral' arrests, 85% involved people with no criminal history, according to newly obtained ICE data.

Why it matters

The data reveals that ICE is arresting far more 'collateral' targets than those with criminal convictions, contradicting the agency's claims that it is focused on 'the worst of the worst' immigrants. This raises concerns about racial profiling and the overreach of immigration enforcement.

The details

The 'collateral' arrests accounted for 24% of all ICE arrests in New York City from August 2025 through March 10. Even of the 2,491 people ICE targeted for arrest, 73% had no criminal convictions or pending charges. The ICE arrest data was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit and covers immigration arrests through March 10.

  • ICE arrests surged last summer when masked agents were grabbing people at immigration courts and staking out check-in offices.
  • Arrests slowed for a period following a federal court order last August limiting the number of people ICE could detain at once.
  • Arrests picked up again between October and December, before declining in the weeks after DHS agents surged into Minneapolis in December.

The players

ICE

Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the federal agency responsible for immigration enforcement.

Department of Homeland Security

The federal department that oversees ICE, which has claimed ICE is focused on arresting 'the worst of the worst' immigrants.

Deportation Data Project

The organization that obtained the ICE arrest data through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit.

Murad Awawdeh

The president and CEO of the New York Immigration Coalition, who criticized ICE's actions as 'aimlessly, racially profiling people.'

Tom Homan

The former Border Czar who reasoned that sanctuary cities like New York would face more 'collateral arrests' because ICE isn't allowed to coordinate with local police.

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What they’re saying

“The Trump administration is not interested in actually delivering on what they say, which is making our communities more safer and secure. They are aimlessly, racially profiling people, but they're looking for anyone that they can detain so they can meet their idiotic quotas.”

— Murad Awawdeh, President and CEO, New York Immigration Coalition

“When you release a public safety threat out of a sanctuary jail and they won't give us access to him, that means we got to go to the neighborhood and find him, and we will find him, but when we find him, he may be with others. Others that don't have a criminal conviction and are in the country illegally, they will be arrested too.”

— Tom Homan, Former Border Czar

What’s next

Immigrant advocates are pushing for the passage of the 'New York for All' bill, which would extend sanctuary protections to the rest of the state and limit cooperation between local law enforcement and ICE.

The takeaway

The data reveals a pattern of ICE conducting widespread 'collateral' arrests that target immigrants without criminal histories, contradicting the agency's claims of focusing on 'the worst of the worst.' This raises serious concerns about racial profiling and the overreach of immigration enforcement.