Ranked: The 10 Nationalities Most Arrested by ICE

Due to data inconsistencies from the official source, figures should be treated as approximate. However, rankings and relative comparisons are not expected to be materially affected.

Key Takeaways

• Mexican nationals account for the largest share of ICE arrests by a wide margin, with 143,001 arrests over the period, nearly three times more than the second ranked country.
• All 10 nationalities in the top 10 are from Latin America, reflecting the geographic reality of US immigration patterns.
• Venezuela’s presence at number 4 reflects a sharp surge in migration driven by the country’s ongoing political and economic crisis.
• The Dominican Republic rounds out the top 10 with 6,262 arrests, the only Caribbean nation on the list.

The dominance of Mexican nationals in ICE arrest data is not surprising given the length and permeability of the US-Mexico border. However, the composition of the rest of the list tells a broader story about migration patterns in the Western Hemisphere over the period covered.

Central American nations (Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador) collectively account for nearly 105,000 arrests, reflecting decades of migration driven by poverty, gang violence, and limited economic opportunity. These three countries have long been the primary source of asylum seekers arriving at the US southern border.

Venezuela’s position at number 4 is the most telling shift in recent immigration data. With over 21,000 arrests, Venezuelan nationals now represent a significant and growing share of ICE encounters, a direct consequence of one of the largest displacement crises in Latin American history, with an estimated 7 million Venezuelans having fled their country in recent years.

Colombia and Ecuador, both at the higher income end of the Latin American spectrum, also appear in the top 10, suggesting that economic migration is not limited to the region’s poorest nations.

Data Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ice.gov/statistics).

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