July 2026 Immigration Arrests Reached 49,571 — Half Had No Criminal Case at All

In July 2026, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recorded 49,571 arrests, the highest monthly total since this data collection began in October 2022. But what stands out this month is not the total number, but what lies inside it. The share of arrestees with no criminal record at all rose back above half for the first time since May 2023.

What Happened in July

"Arrests in July 2026 totaled 49,571, an increase of about 15% over June's 43,021."

These figures come from a tabulation of raw ICE data obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the government, by a data-transparency project run by researchers at UC Berkeley and UCLA. The data was received on August 21, 2026, and released on August 24. The reason last month's numbers are only being discussed now is simply that the data itself arrived this late.

The raw data includes records spanning several stages — arrest, detention, detainer requests, and transfer — but this column covers only the arrest numbers and the characteristics of those arrested. The raw data also includes records showing whether a transfer actually led to removal, but the group that released the data itself noted doubts about the reliability of that portion. For that reason, this column addresses only the arrest stage.

That works out to a daily average of about 1,599 arrests. Compared with July 2025 (27,296) a year earlier, that is roughly 1.8 times as many. The dataset covers October 2022 through early August 2026, and the monthly totals within that period did not rise in a straight line. They fell to 29,941 in February 2026, then climbed back up to 32,545 in May and 43,021 in June, before hitting the highest point in the entire dataset in July. For reference, the raw data contains some records that appear to be duplicates; removing them brings the July figure to 49,091, but either way, July remains the highest month.

Looking at the number alone, it is easy to read this as tougher enforcement, but that single figure does not tell the whole story. It matters just as much to look at who is being arrested.

The Real Change Is in the Composition, Not the Total

"In January 2025, 51.3% of arrestees had a criminal conviction and 21.0% had no criminal record. By July 2026, these two figures had traded places: those with no criminal record now stood at 51.3%, and those with criminal convictions at 23.9%."

This dataset sorts arrestees precisely into three categories based on criminal case status: individuals with criminal convictions, individuals with pending criminal charges who have been charged but not yet convicted, and individuals with no criminal record at all. For convenience, the third group can be called "individuals with no criminal record," but that label does not mean they are innocent of any wrongdoing or that their presence in the country is lawful. The finding that they violated immigration law still stands; it simply means they have no other criminal case. Those with pending criminal charges only, not yet convicted, made up 24.8% (about 12,300 arrests) as of July, and this group, too, cannot be lumped together as "criminals." The most basic principle for reading this data is never to blur together these three categories — individuals with criminal convictions, individuals with pending criminal charges, and individuals with no criminal record.

Looking just at the past year and a half — from January 2025 to July 2026 — the shift is stark. While arrests of individuals with criminal convictions rose from 6,323 to 11,847, about 1.9 times, arrests of individuals with no criminal record jumped from 2,594 to 25,424, nearly 9.8 times. Most of the growth in arrests over this period came from the group with no criminal record.

There is a caveat, though, in using January 2025 as the baseline. The share of arrestees with no criminal record was not low throughout the entire period this dataset covers — in fact, the opposite was true early on. From October 2022 through May 2023, it stayed above 50% for eight straight months, peaking at 68.9% in January 2023, the highest point in the entire dataset. After that it declined, with ups and downs, falling to 13.2% in December 2024, and January 2025's 21.0% was not far above that low point. Starting in 2025 it climbed again, reaching 51.3% in July 2026 — the first time it has topped half since May 2023 (50.4%). So the current figure is not an unprecedented reading in this dataset; it is closer to a return to the level seen when the data collection first began. Why the share moves up and down this way cannot be determined from this data alone, so this column reports the numbers without speculating about the cause.

How and Where People Are Being Arrested Has Also Changed

"50.2% of July 2026 arrests were at-large arrests — made directly on the street, at home, or at the workplace, rather than through a handoff from a jail or detention facility."

That share has risen overall from 36.1% in January 2025, with ups and downs along the way. It peaked at 54.7% in December 2025, the highest in this dataset, fell back to 43.7% in March 2026, and then climbed again to 50.2% in July.

There is one more notable increase over this same period: arrests made through the 287(g) program, under which state or local police enter agreements with federal immigration authorities to take part directly in enforcement. These arrests rose from 300 in January 2025 to 6,518 in July 2026, about 21.7 times as many. Custodial arrests — handoffs from detention facilities — accounted for the second-largest share in July, at 17,748 (35.8%), with the remaining methods making up 409 (0.8%). The defining feature of July is that, as the at-large share rose overall, arrests made by going out and making the arrest directly came to outweigh arrests made through custodial handoffs.

By state, Texas (24.4%), Florida (14.9%), California (8.6%), and Georgia (4.6%) alone account for 52.5% of the total. They are followed by Arizona (4.4%), New Jersey (2,112 arrests, 4.3%), New York (1,567 arrests, 3.2%), and Pennsylvania (1,174 arrests, 2.4%). New Jersey's 2,112 is the highest monthly total for that state across the entire dataset, roughly five times January 2025's 426. In January 2026, New York (1,438) and New Jersey (1,452) were at similar levels, but by July, New Jersey had pulled noticeably further ahead of New York.

By nationality, Mexico leads with 41.2%, followed by Guatemala (14.6%), Honduras (10.5%), and Venezuela (6.4%). Below them come El Salvador (3.7%), Nicaragua (2.9%), Colombia (2.8%), Ecuador (2.8%), and other countries in sequence — a distribution spread across several leading nationalities rather than concentrated in any single one.

What This Change Means

"Whenever enforcement statistics like these come out, the question our office gets is almost always the same: does this number apply to me too?"

Answering that question requires looking at the numbers above together, layered on top of one another.

The rise in both at-large arrests and local police agreements means arrests are now more likely to happen without warning, in ordinary everyday places. Layered together with the fact that the share of people who can be arrested with no criminal case at all has crossed the halfway mark, this means that arrests based solely on immigration status, regardless of any criminal case, have become more common.

This change applies to anyone with an immigration status problem, regardless of whether they have a criminal case. It also means that never having been involved in a criminal case no longer offers as much reassurance as it once did. At the same time, these numbers are not a story about any single nationality.

It should also be noted that custodial handoffs from detention facilities still make up more than a third of the total. This does not mean the odds have risen that someone with no immigration status problem, or who is faithfully following an ongoing process, will suddenly be arrested. But if a problem already exists within one's case, the paths by which it can come to light have become more varied than before. That said, there is no reason to feel anxious every day. It is simply better to have the basics in order ahead of time.

Closing

First, it is worth always carrying identity documents such as a permanent resident card (Green Card) or an Employment Authorization Document (EAD). With at-large arrests, which happen without warning, on the rise, having that document on hand at that moment matters. This is also a good time to check that it is actually in your wallet or bag, and not something you have been forgetting to carry. Beyond that, at least one family member should know where your identity documents are kept and, if you have a pending case, how to reach your attorney. Whether or not that information exists makes a real difference if you suddenly cannot be reached yourself. Finally, if you have moved, do not forget to file a change of address with USCIS. If a notice about a pending case is sent to an old address and never received, you can lose the very chance to respond at the moment it matters most.

Disclaimer: This column is provided for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice for any specific case. For matters concerning your individual immigration situation, please consult an immigration attorney.

Law Office of Attorney Jin D. Cho

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