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The detention of Latino immigrants without criminal records in the United States has sextupled since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last January, according to a report released this Friday by the prestigious University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
The study reveals that, between February and September 2025, an average of 6,000 Latinos without criminal history entered immigration detention centers each month, compared to about 900 per month during the same period in 2024, under the Biden Administration.
As a result, the proportion of immigrants detained without criminal records has increased significantly and currently represents more than one in three detainees, compared to less than one in eight in 2024.
The research was based on official data obtained through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
Five nationalities account for three-quarters of the arrests of Latinos without a criminal record: Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela, and Ecuador, the report emphasizes.
Researchers highlighted that the arrest of Mexicans has increased nearly eightfold, rising from 1,500 to 13,300 individuals, which accounts for more than a quarter of the total.
In the case of Venezuelans, arrests increased fourteenfold, reaching a total of 5,600 detainees.
Additionally, 8,600 Guatemalans were registered, almost eight times more than in the previous period; 6,000 Hondurans, nearly ten times more; and 2,800 Ecuadorians, more than double.
The report also notes that the Trump Administration deported nearly nine out of ten Latinos detained without criminal records, while only a small fraction was released and was able to return to their communities.
"We focus on this group because, unmistakably, they are not 'the worst of the worst,' but rather members of society who adhere to the law and contribute," stated the authors of the study, Paul Ong, Jonathan Ong, and Sonja Díaz, who have refuted the narrative of the current Administration and Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristi Noem.
Research indicates that the majority of Latinos detained without a criminal record are between the ages of 18 and 54, which means they are of working age.
Additionally, nearly seven out of ten remained detained for 15 days or more, and 60% were transferred outside the state in which they resided.
The document notes that the current Administration's objective is to maintain a daily average of 100,000 immigrants in detention centers, almost double the historical record of 50,200 people recorded under previous administrations.
Lastly, it is noteworthy that the results show a concerning trend for the remainder of Trump's term, with an increase in arrests, detentions, and deportations, a large portion of which involve individuals with no criminal records.
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