Racial Criminalization: Detentions of Law-Abiding Latinos in the U.S. Surged Sixfold During Trump’s First Year

Original article: Criminalización racial: Detención de latinos sin antecedentes delictuales se sextuplicó en EEUU durante primer año de Trump

A recent report from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) highlights that the detention of law-abiding Latinos in the U.S. increased sixfold within just one year of President Donald Trump’s controversial administration.

The document, presented by various international agencies, also reveals that the detention of Venezuelans skyrocketed by 14 times and that of Mexicans by eight.

According to the report, an average of 6,000 Latinos without criminal records were admitted to detention centers each month between February and September 2025, a staggering increase compared to only 900 during the same period in 2024 under President Joe Biden.

The study found that under Trump, five nationalities accounted for three-quarters of all detained Latinos without criminal records: Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Venezuela, and Ecuador.

Cold statistics show that among Mexicans, 13,300 individuals were detained, making up more than a quarter of the total figure.

Additionally, 5,600 Venezuelans were apprehended, along with 8,600 Guatemalans, 6,000 Hondurans, and 2,800 Ecuadorians.

«The Trump Administration deported nearly nine out of ten detained Latinos with no criminal record, releasing only a small fraction back to their communities,» the UCLA report indicates.

In this context, the study’s authors, Paul Ong, Jonathan Ong, and Sonja Díaz, noted, «We focused on this group because they are unequivocally not ‘the worst of the worst,’ but rather members of society who adhere to the law and contribute positively.»

Another significant finding from the research is that most detained law-abiding Latinos were between the ages of 18 and 54, which is considered «working age.» Moreover, almost seven out of ten were detained for 15 days or longer, and 60% of them were transferred outside their home state.

Finally, the document recalled that Trump’s goal is to achieve a daily average of 100,000 immigrants in detention centers, nearly double the previous record of 50,200 individuals recorded in earlier administrations.

Cover Photo: Gregory Bull / Associated Press (Los Angeles Times Archive)