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ICE arrest data: Most in MN had no criminal convictions
Nearly 3,800 people were arrested in Minnesota during Operation Metro Surge from December through February. More than 60% of them had no criminal convictions or charges.
(FOX 9) - New data unearthed from a lawsuit reveals a clearer picture of who was targeted in Minnesota during Operation Metro Surge.
ICE arrests in Minnesota
What we know:
In total, immigration agents arrested almost 3,800 people during the surge, with a peak of more than 100 per day in early January.
"Worst of the worst" lists came early and often during Operation Metro Surge as up to 3,000 immigration agents hit the streets of Minnesota from December through February.
But when the Deportation Data Project unearthed ICE’s internal data, it found those "worst of the worst" arrests were the exception, not the rule.
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ICE in MN: Less than 25% of arrests had criminal convictions
New data reveals federal immigration agents arrested almost 3,800 people during Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota – almost 100 per day at its peak. FOX 9’s Corin Hoggard explains the details that show very few actually had criminal convictions on their records.
Data tells the tale
Dig deeper:
According to the data, less than 25% of the people arrested in Minnesota have any criminal convictions. Another 13% had pending criminal charges.
ICE’s data doesn’t specify the conviction, but it includes any felonies or misdemeanors, and even traffic violations.
In total, more than 60% of the people arrested had nothing on their records.
What they're saying:
Deportation Data Project co-director Graeme Blair says the data reflects a change in strategy prompted by a 3,000 arrests-a-day quota.
"What they've had to do is then to expand that to people who are just going about their daily lives, non-citizens who are following the rules who are going to their ICE check-ins who are going to immigration court on their on their court dates and are just living," Blair told FOX 9. "The data shows that people are being sent back to not just their own countries where they may be in danger, but they're being sent to other places where they have no connection and where they may at risk of imprisonment or worse as well."
Who got arrested?
Big picture view:
The data shows immigration agents never made it to the 4,000 arrests they claimed in early February.
The most common country of origin was Ecuador.
Before the surge, Ecuadorians living — legally for the moment — in Minnesota had almost 12,000 pending immigration cases and more than 1,900 pending asylum cases.
Agents arrested more than 1,000 natives of Ecuador during the surge, including Liam Conejo Ramos and family.
Liam Ramos case:
The family has no criminal history, but after their highly publicized arrest and release, and after the end of the surge, a judge rejected their asylum claim.
Their attorney tells FOX they plan to appeal the decision.
What's next:
ICE’s data does not specify if the people they arrested have any legal status pending court cases, but the 63% with no criminal history also have no convictions nor charges for immigration violations.
The other side:
FOX 9 reached out to the Department of Homeland Security for a response to the data, but no response has been received yet.