Since Donald Trump returned to the presidency in January 2025, Immigrant arrests by ICE in North Carolina increased dramatically.
In just six months, between January and June, the agency detained 1,661 people, according to official data obtained by the Deportation Data Project. This figure represents a 150% increase compared to the same period last year, when 665 arrests were recorded under the Biden administration.
Most of those arrested have no criminal record.
Of the total number of people arrested by ICE in North Carolina so far this year, 52% She had no criminal convictions at the time of her arrest.
The data on arrests of people without criminal records aligns with statements by the acting director of ICE, Todd Lyons, during a interview with CBS News, last Sunday, July 20th.
"Are you saying that now, if your agents find someone here illegally, regardless of whether they have a criminal record or not, that person will be arrested?" the reporter asked. Lyons' response was emphatic: "If they're here in the United States illegally, yes, they will be."
In addition, Lyons admitted that he supports so-called "collateral arrests," as they are known. immigration detentions who were not the primary target of an operation, but were arrested incidentally during the operation. For example, family members or friends of someone targeted by ICE.
In that sense, only 798 of the 1,661 people arrested (48%) by ICE in the state had a criminal record. And many of those cases relate to minor infractions. In contrast, in 2024, during Joe Biden's administration, 68% of those detained in North Carolina did have a criminal record, which highlights the change in the approach to raids.
Related: Where can I locate a person detained by ICE?
Mecklenburg and Wake, the North Carolina counties with the most ICE arrests
Mecklenburg County leads the list of arrests made by ICE in North Carolina so far this year, with 436 people detained between January and June 2025. It is followed by Wake, with 98 arrests, and Cabarrus, with 71. These three counties, located in urban and densely populated areas, concentrate a significant part of the arrests in the state, which suggests a strong ICE operational presence in those jurisdictions.
Other counties also show significant, though comparatively lower, numbers: Union recorded 52 arrests, New Hanover 45, Johnston 27, Harnett 21, Durham 15, Forsyth 14, and Moore 9. However, in 843 cases—more than half of the total—ICE did not specify the exact location of the arrest, either because it was listed as “unclassified,” “unspecified,” or simply without geographic information in public records.
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