NBC reported an increase in U.S. detention of migrants without criminal records

The number of detained migrants who have no criminal record or any charges filed has increased in US immigration centers, despite the statement of President Donald Trump's administration about the priority of arresting criminals. This was reported by the NBC television channel on February 19.

Thus, for the first two weeks of February, the number of detainees amounted to more than 1.8 thousand people, that is, 41% of the total number of new detentions (4422 people) for the period. Such data are available to the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

At the same time, the total number of migrants detained by ICE increased from 39,238 in early February to 41,169 by mid-month. The media outlet notes that the maximum capacity of ICE centers across the country is 41,500 people.

Commenting on the new data, U.S. Department of Homeland Security spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said that even migrants without criminal records are often "far from innocent," but did not give details.

Pain and loss: U.S. spent at least $2 million to deport migrants

The Pentagon confirmed to Izvestia the use of C-17 military aircraft for this purpose - one hour of their operation costs more than $19 thousand.

On February 14, Pope Francis sharply criticized Trump's migration policy in an open letter sent to America's Catholic bishops. He noted that he believes it is wrong to equate all illegal immigrants with criminals. The Pope said Trump's plans for mass deportation of migrants were a "disgrace".

On Oct. 5, 2024, Trump called the U.S. an occupied country because of the large number of migrants. He called mass entries of foreigners "military invasions without uniforms."