Nearly 17,000 immigrants who have no prior criminal record are currently being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, according to new federal data released last week.

The Baltimore Sun reports that this marks a major increase in detentions of individuals without criminal convictions or pending charges. The total ICE detention population has more than tripled since 2024, with much of the growth coming from arrests of people with clean records.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, for instance, had no prior criminal history when he was detained and deported to El Salvador in March, according to arrest documents. He later faced federal human smuggling charges tied to a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee. Body camera footage showed that officers initially suspected smuggling but released him with a warning. He has pleaded not guilty to those charges.

Advocates say that many ICE operations now target working-class immigrants and community members, not individuals accused of serious crimes.

“They are going after everyday people,” said Crisaly De Los Santos, Baltimore and Central Maryland Director for CASA, a national immigrant and Latino advocacy organization. “Mainly day laborers, parents and people who live in our communities — not specifically going after people that have warrants.”

De Los Santos said that Baltimore’s first district, home to the city’s largest Hispanic and Latino population, has seen a significant increase in ICE raids at places like Home Depot on Eastern Avenue.

One example cited in the report involved Daniel Fuentes Espinal, a pastor and longtime resident of Easton, Maryland, who was arrested in July for overstaying a visa that ICE said expired 24 years ago. He was later released following community outcry.