There is little system-wide analysis of who ICE is detaining except for a flock of articles mid summer (one of them noted at the end.) Here is the outcome of an investigation into a big deal cartel bust that happened in late August. The reality of the bust came out when formal charges were made against those arrested.
As of today, late October, a slim majority of Americans appear to still believe that illegal immigration = a major crime problem.
A Boston Globe Spotlight investigation revealed that the DEA’s August raids in Franklin, New Hampshire, promoted by the Trump administration as a major strike against Mexico’s Sinaloa Cartel, mostly swept up addicts, small-time dealers, and homeless people. “These are high-level arrests, not low-level retail distribution. They are members of the Sinaloa cartel,” said Jarod Forget, special agent in charge of the New England Division. Fox News reported the entire 23 state operation against the Siniloa cartel led to 613 arrests nationwide.
Federal agents claimed to have arrested 171 cartel members in New England. But many were charged with minor offenses like shoplifting or drug possession. In 8,800 population Franklin, what the administration billed as a cartel bust was actually an enforcement operation resulting in 27 arrests, targeting fentanyl and meth distribution, and the clearing of a homeless encampment in Franklin. Franklin’s police chief said he recognized 85% of the people from his patrol days.
From The Marshall Project (8/15/25)
“People with no criminal convictions at all make up two-thirds of the more than 120,000 people deported between January and May. For another 8%, the only offense on their record was illegal entry to the U.S. Only about 12% were convicted of a crime that was either violent or potentially violent. The numbers contradict officials’ continued claims that immigration enforcement is focusing on the “worst of the worst” criminal offenders. The numbers are estimates from a Marshall Project analysis of Immigration and Customs Enforcement data, provided to the Deportation Data Project in response to a FOIA request.”