Immigrants in Texas who entered legally, have pending immigration cases, or have long-standing U.S. ties are being detained by ICE and facing deportation under the Trump administration's enforcement push. The Texas Tribune profiled five detainees from Cuba, China, Mexico, Iran and Venezuela and cited federal data showing that as of Aug. 6 only 31% of more than 500,000 ICE arrests nationwide involved people with criminal convictions; in Texas, where about a quarter of arrests occur, roughly two-thirds of those arrested had no criminal conviction. DHS said it is using all lawful options to carry out Trump's promised mass-deportation campaign and is targeting people the administration classifies as unauthorized immigrants, including some who had been allowed to enter under Biden-era policies.
Why it matters: The story shows how broad enforcement is affecting spouses of U.S. citizens, students, asylum seekers and others who had been trying to legalize or maintain status, not only people with serious criminal records. Supporters see it as fulfilling Trump's deportation pledge, while critics say it sweeps in low-risk residents and pressures people to accept deportation because of detention conditions.
Ian Hanchett
2026.09.23
77% relevant
This adds a new political reaction to that enforcement pattern: Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart said people who are in the legal immigration process are being detained and argued that the practice should be changed because it discourages compliance with legal channels.
By Uriel J. García, Alejandra Martinez, Alejandro Santos Cid and Alex Nguyen | Illustrations by Lauren Crow | Data analysis by Alex Ford
2026.09.22
100% relevant
This article establishes a distinct, data-backed story about the composition of ICE arrests in Texas during the Trump crackdown and the detention of immigrants with legal entry histories, pending status claims or close family ties in the United States.
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