Jayapal Says Most Recent DHS Arrestees Pose No Public Safety Threat
Rep. Pramila Jayapal told a House Judiciary subcommittee that for the first time this summer, most people arrested by DHS pose no threat to public safety, as ICE set a record with nearly 51,000 arrests in August.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., told a House Judiciary subcommittee on Tuesday that for the first time this summer, the majority of people arrested by the Department of Homeland Security pose no threat to public safety, arguing that the Trump administration has shifted its immigration enforcement toward immigrants without criminal convictions or pending charges.
Speaking during a hearing on immigration enforcement, Jayapal said the number of people with criminal convictions arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement actually decreased even as overall arrests climbed. She pointed to a September 1 press release from her office stating that ICE data showed the majority of people arrested had zero criminal charges or convictions, and that arrests of immigrants without criminal convictions or pending charges had risen 770 percent.
Independent analyses of ICE data have similarly found that while overall ICE arrests reached record highs during the summer, the share of people arrested without criminal convictions or pending criminal charges also increased. Jayapal argued that the administration's enforcement priorities are making communities less safe, saying that when DHS focuses on parents, longtime friends and neighbors, and when Homeland Security Investigations agents who are supposed to investigate serious crime and human trafficking are instead moved to street sweeps and ride along with local police for random traffic stops, the result is less safety, not more.
Her remarks came as the Trump administration touted record immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump. According to DHS, ICE arrested nearly 51,000 illegal immigrants nationwide in August, the highest monthly total on record. DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement that the hard-working men and women of DHS continue to break records as they defend the homeland and protect the American people, adding that for the third straight month ICE set a new record for the highest number of illegal aliens arrested in a single month.
Mullin described the figures as promises made and promises kept in action, saying that under Trump's leadership ICE is working around the clock every day to arrest and deport illegal aliens from American communities. DHS also highlighted August arrests of illegal immigrants convicted of crimes including murder, child pornography and sexual assault of a minor. According to the department, more than 3 million illegal immigrants have left the United States since Trump returned to office.
A spokesperson for DHS and Jayapal could not immediately be reached for comment. The exchange in the subcommittee hearing reflects a broader dispute over how to measure the success of immigration enforcement, with the administration emphasizing record arrest totals and the congresswoman focusing on the share of those arrests involving people without criminal records.
