SALT LAKE CITY — Immigration agents in Utah are continuing to escalate their number of arrests, including for those who have not been accused of a crime.
The latest data was released by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and collated by the Deportation Data Project at University of California Berkeley.
It shows 35.5 percent of arrestees in Utah were not convicted or charged with a crime.
Current and former ICE agents say the spike is likely in response to a mandate from White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller in May, setting a goal of at least 3,000 arrests per day.
ICE agents arrested approximately 1,400 people in Utah from January 20, 2025 through June 10, 2025. This is up from approximately 630 arrests during the same period in 2024.
The Trump Administration's stated goal is to "target the worst of the worst — including gang members, murderers and rapists."
Arrests (without convictions or criminal charges) spiked in February, shortly after President Trump took office. The numbers dipped in March and April before growing again in May and June.
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Arrests by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have dropped.
"The quota was set ambitiously high, and, if you pair that with a decrease in border crossings, you don't have this pool of people that have only been here for a couple of days or a couple of weeks," said Loren Locke, an immigration attorney who used to work for the U.S. Department of State. "You're trying to hit these big numbers, but if we're only focusing on violent criminals? Well, violent criminals are serving out their sentence. When their sentence is done, then they can be put into detention and then they can leave, but that's not something you can juice the numbers with now."
Instead, Locke believes the high percentage of "non-criminal" arrests show ICE is likely increasing its numbers through racial profiling or by rounding up family members of other arrestees.
Jeff Silvestrini, the mayor of Millcreek, is also concerned with civil rights violations.
He wrote a letter to ICE in February after agents claimed a Utah driver "swerved" into them. Nearby video from a coffee shop told a different story.
The mayor's letter says ICE agents "overstepped, demonstrated unprofessional and perhaps criminal conduct, and trampled the rights of an American citizen employed in (Millcreek)."
"UPD did not find it acceptable either," Silvestrini said. "The force that was used was excessive. The fact that weapons were drawn on this individual is something that, as I mentioned in my letter, would have violated our protocols about use of deadly force."
Silvestrini said he did not receive much of a response from ICE.
He continues to wonder whether the ICE agents were investigated, cleared, or disciplined.
"They simply said they take their role seriously, and they investigate complaints. They follow the law," Silvestrini said.
"It's the same response that has been given for virtually everything... I just felt it was a boilerplate response."
The latest Department of Homeland Security data shows 17 percent of ICE arrests in Utah were people without a criminal history.
Silvestrini said the data, if accurate, should raise more questions about ICE protocols.
"It does concern me that there are apparently a significant number of encounters between ICE and individuals where charges are not warranted," Silvestrini said. "We don't expect to be stopped without cause... I don't like the idea of seeing that happen to people where it's not warranted."
According to national data compiled by the Washington Post, 41 percent of ICE arrestees have been convicted in 2024 — compared to 52 percent during the same period in 2025.
FOX 13 News has been in contact with current and former ICE agents about the way this has affected their jobs on a day-to-day basis. Many have been afraid to speak publicly due to fear of retaliation. We will show you their perspectives as we continue to report on this topic in the coming days and months