Quarter of ICE Arrests Since August Were ‘Collateral’ Detentions
New ICE data shows 64,000 ‘collateral’ arrests occurred during street sweeps from August to March, representing a quarter of all immigration detentions.
RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA — Nearly 64,000 people were arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement through “collateral” detentions between August and early March, representing a quarter of all immigration arrests during that period, according to new data analysis.
The collateral arrests, a category being tracked for the first time, occur during street sweeps and raids where individuals are questioned based on their appearance or proximity to someone with an outstanding warrant. These arrests have drawn legal challenges as potential violations of civil rights protections.
ICE arrest data obtained by the Deportation Data Project and analyzed by Stateline shows 253,000 total arrests occurred from August through early March, with collateral arrests accounting for approximately 25% of that total.
Difference in Criminal Backgrounds
The data reveals significant differences between collateral arrests and traditional warrant-based detentions. About 70% of collateral arrests involved people with only immigration-related violations, compared to 41% for warrant-based arrests.
Less than 2% of those arrested through collateral means had been convicted of violent crimes, representing one-third the rate of other arrest categories. Only 18% of collateral arrestees had any criminal conviction, compared to 33% for other types of arrests.
Traditional immigration arrests typically rely on warrants obtained in advance, showing either a removal order from immigration court or evidence of crimes that make individuals subject to deportation.
Arrest Patterns and Trends
Immigration arrests surged dramatically over the reporting period, climbing from approximately 12,000 in January 2025 to more than 40,000 last December. However, arrests dropped back to 30,000 in February 2026.
The overall pattern shows declining shares of arrests for serious crimes and increasing arrests for immigration offenses alone. Public outrage and ongoing lawsuits challenging the collateral arrest practices may be reducing the large-scale sweeps that generate these detentions.
Collateral arrests can result when ICE agents conducting raids detain individuals who are not the primary targets but are believed to be subject to deportation and likely to flee if released. Legal advocates have challenged this practice as circumventing established civil rights protections.
Legal and Policy Implications
The labeling of collateral arrests represents the first time ICE has formally categorized this type of detention in its reporting. The practice has faced court challenges from civil rights groups arguing it allows agents to make arrests without proper legal justification.
The data suggests that while large-scale immigration enforcement operations continue, the combination of legal pressure and public scrutiny may be influencing how and when such operations are conducted. The February decline in arrests follows the peak enforcement period during the winter months.
Immigration enforcement patterns show tens of thousands of people continue to be detained through methods that differ significantly from traditional warrant-based arrests, with collateral arrestees having substantially lower rates of serious criminal convictions than those arrested through standard procedures.
