An analysis found that immigrant “criminals” Trump wants to deport make up just a tiny fraction of migrants in the United States

President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to launch what he says is the largest deportation operation in “American history” by deporting undocumented migrants with criminal histories. But those who meet these criteria make up only a small portion of the migrant population, a new analysis has found.

Less than 0.5% of the 1.8 million cases in immigration Courts last fiscal year — involving about 8,400 people — issued deportation orders for alleged crimes other than entering the U.S. illegally, an Axios review of government data found.

The figures do not include more than 400,000 undocumented immigrants with criminal convictions in recent decades, many of whom are held in federal, state or local facilities. Approximately 29,000 criminals were convicted of murder or sexual assault. They would all enter the deportation process upon immigration – but only after serving their sentence. Axios said.

There are approximately 24.5 million Immigrants without citizenship According to the Pew Research Center, there are people in the United States, including those who are here awaiting an asylum decision or are otherwise legally in the country. According to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), immigration courts recorded 1,798,964 new cases from October 1, 2023 to September 30, 2024.

Only 0.47% of these cases were affected possible deportation about suspected criminal activity.

Trump’s continued promises to deport criminal migrants on a large scale come despite numerous studies showing that migrants commit fewer crimes than U.S.-born citizens NPR.

Some of the most extensive research comes from Stanford University. Economist Ran Abramitzky found that since the 1960s, immigrants have been 60% less likely to be incarcerated than people born in the United States.

There is also state-level research showing similar results: Researchers at the CATO Institute, a libertarian think tank, examined this Texas in 2019. They found that undocumented immigrants were 37.1% less likely to be convicted of a crime.

Beyond incarceration rates, research also shows that there is no connection between undocumented people living in an area and an increase in crime there. Current research by The New York Times and the Marshall Project found that there was no association between undocumented immigrants and increases in violent or property crime in these communities between 2007 and 2016.

But regardless of these numbers, Trump says he will devote all his resources to “them.” largest deportation operation of illegal criminals, drug dealers and human traffickers in American history,” Trump-Vance transition spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement.

Trumps arriving border czarTom Homan told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo that the new administration will “focus first on public safety and national security threats” as part of a mass deportation plan.

“We know that a record number of people on the terrorist watch list have crossed this line. We know a record.” Number of terrorists were released in this country,” Homan said.

They have repeatedly refused to address the small number Current immigration cases Inclusion of immigrants who have committed crimes.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Office of Field Operations, the agency’s largest division, arrested 19,242 noncitizens convicted of crimes in the U.S. or abroad in fiscal year 2024. the agency said. The U.S. Border Patrol recorded 17,048 apprehensions of non-citizens convicted of crimes in the U.S. or abroad in fiscal year 2024.