ICE arrests of immigrants with prior convictions doubled in Wisconsin between the final year of the Biden administration and the first year of the Trump administration. Those with drunk driving and traffic offense records make up much of the increase.
Wisconsin immigration attorneys say federal authorities appear more willing to start deportation proceedings for immigrants with criminal records who would not have been priority targets in years past.
Immigrants with prior convictions made up more than half of all Wisconsin ICE arrests in the first year of the Trump administration. While the agency is increasingly targeting immigrants with no prior criminal histories, the number of ICE arrestees with past convictions is also on the rise in Wisconsin.
ICE arrests of immigrants with prior convictions in Wisconsin in the 365 days before Jan. 20, 2025, compared with the first 365 days beginning Jan. 20, 2025.
Change in Wisconsin ICE arrests by major criminal charge category
Trump-period count minus Biden-period count.
Notes: Figures reflect count of immigrants who appear in both U.S Department of Homeland Security apprehension records and detention records, filtered for those arrested in Wisconsin with prior criminal convictions. Lower graph shows a selection of major charge categories, not an exhaustive list of charges noted in DHS records. Each arrestee is assigned to one primary charge category within each 365-day period. Not all immigrants arrested in Wisconsin appear in detention records, so all figures are undercounts.
Data source: Deportation Data Project | Analysis by Paul Kiefer for Wisconsin Watch