A woman cries after her husband is detained by federal agents during a mandatory immigration check-in in June in New York City. The Trump administration’s arrests have been catching a smaller share of criminals overall, and a smaller share of people convicted of violent and drug crimes, than the Biden administration did in the same time frame last year. (Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)

New research from the national news organization Stateline highlights some of the big flaws in the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies.

While the administration has made much of its supposed commitment to cracking down on violent criminals and blaming Democrats for failing to do so, the research actually reveals a significant decline in this realm under Trump.

Indeed, the numbers show that while Trump’s ICE has rounded up more people, the Biden administration did a much better job in capturing individuals convicted of serious crimes.

During the first half of 2024, 53% of the people arrested for being unlawfully present in the U.S. had been previously convicted of crimes. Under Trump, the number has dropped to 40% as ICE has resorted to mass roundups. Arrests for those not convicted of any crime have nearly tripled.

The bottom line: When combined with the practice of using terror tactics like masked officers and ignoring due process, these numbers reveal an immigration enforcement regime that is at once cruel, incompetent and un-American. The need for change is urgent.

For NC Newsline, I’m Rob Schofield.