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Human Impact Project

A living database documenting reported immigration enforcement incidents and their human impact.

ICE street sweeps net thousands of collateral arrests with no individual warrants

May 1, 2026

ICE street sweeps net thousands of collateral arrests with no individual warrants
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Between August 2025 and March 2026, approximately 64,000 people were arrested by ICE during street sweeps as "collateral" arrests—detained based on appearance or proximity to someone with a warrant rather than having individualized warrants themselves. These collateral arrests represented roughly a quarter of ICE's 253,000 total arrests during this period. About 70% of collateral arrests involved only immigration-related violations, compared to 41% of warrant-based arrests, and less than 2% involved violent crime convictions. Multiple lawsuits have challenged the legality of these arrests, and arrest numbers declined following public outcry.

Timeline

Mar 31, 2026—Data collection period ends; collateral arrests account for approximately 25% of ICE's total arrests during the period
Dec 1, 2025—Arrest numbers begin declining, potentially due to public outcry and legal challenges
Aug 1, 2025—ICE street sweeps begin, resulting in collateral arrests of individuals without individualized warrants
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