Trump’s Transparency Test: Will ICEs Collateral Arrests See the Light?

The Trump administration has admitted in federal court that many Venezuelans it accused of being dangerous gang members—and deported under wartime powers—actually had NO CRIMINAL RECORDS in the U.S. The excuse? They simply “hadn’t been here long enough” to commit crimes. If that’s the standard, we have a serious problem. This is exactly why we need a public ICE Arrest Tracker that breaks down: 1. How many arrested were LEGALLY in the U.S. – because no one should be detained for existing. 2. How many were UNDOCUMENTED but had NO criminal record. 3. How many were UNDOCUMENTED and HAD committed a crime. If these deportations are truly about public safety, then a little transparency shouldn’t be a problem. If ICE is detaining people based on assumptions, not actual crimes, the public deserves to know. Since ICE already tracks this data, making it public should be simple. If the government can monitor every tax return, traffic violation, and relief dollar, surely it can show who is actually being arrested and why. I look forward to your response—and hopefully, the launch of a public ICE Arrest Tracker to show exactly what our tax dollars are funding.