UCLA Study: ICE Raids Producing Major Demographic Shifts; Noncriminal Latino Detentions Up Sixfold

The UCLA Center for Neighborhood Knowledge published 'ICE Raids and Shifting U.S. Demographics' on April 20, 2026, finding that enforcement under the Trump administration has shifted dramatically toward noncriminal Latino immigrants. Drawing on data from February 2024 through September 2025, the report found monthly detentions of Latinos without criminal records increased sixfold compared to the final year of the Biden administration, driven by aggressive workplace and public-space arrests. Nearly 9 in 10 noncriminal Latino detainees were deported; only a small fraction were released. The report warns that the sustained targeting of noncriminal immigrants across multiple demographic groups — combined with record detention times and increased facility transfers — may signal a shift toward mass confinement with far-reaching consequences for U.S. communities. The findings align with TRAC data showing 70.8% of ICE detainees have no criminal conviction, and with the New York Times analysis showing immigration arrests of immigrants without criminal records have increased eightfold under Trump's second term.