ICE has arrested scores of migrants in the U.S. who have no criminal records

CEDAR PARK, Texas — When Carlos, 18, bought his first bicycle on Jan. 25, he was beaming with happiness.

He couldn’t believe the shiny light blue bicycle had only cost $13 at a thrift store, and that he was able to pay for it with the money he had earned from his job as a dishwasher at a nearby pizza shop.

Everything for Carlos is pretty new. He came to the U.S. from Venezuela in November through CBP One, a mobile app created by the federal government used by asylum seekers to schedule an appointment in the U.S.-Mexico border. Migrants who secured an appointment were allowed in the country temporarily while they await their immigration hearing.

Wearing a black hoodie, green cargo joggers, and a pair of white slides, Carlos tried a few wheelies in the parking lot of a gas station. Later that day he went to bed, looking forward to an early-morning ride with his cousins.

But that bike ride never happened.

In the early morning of Sunday, Jan. 26, immigration officers knocked on the door of Carlos’ home. Marian, his stepmother, opened the door and told Carlos to come out of his room. Minutes later, Carlos was in the custody of the federal government.

NPR is withholding the full names of Carlos and his family because they worry speaking out will jeopardize Carlos’ case.

Marian told NPR no warrant was produced. She said immigration officers told her Carlos had appeared in a video with firearms and drugs, but they didn’t show such video to her despite her asking.

NPR could not corroborate the existence of such video in social media, and could not find any criminal record for Carlos in Texas, or the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment about Carlos’ arrest.

The story of Carlos is an example of how immigrants — some without legal status, others with legal protections — are being caught up in President Donald Trump’s promises of mass arrests and deportations, despite not having a criminal record.

Surprise

As soon as Trump took office on Jan. 20, his administration started conducting immigration enforcement operations across the country.

Tom Homan, Trump’s border czar, told CNN a day after that ICE was conducting “targeted enforcement operations.”

“They know exactly who they are looking for, they know pretty much where to find them,” Homan said, referring to immigrants who were in the country illegally and who have committed a crime.

This is something that Marian was on board with.

“I’ve always said, we might be from the same country, but we are 100 percent in agreement that if someone harms someone that person should leave,” Marian said in Spanish. “But I never made that comment thinking it could happen to me and my family.”

Juan, Carlos’ dad, said he never imagined police were going to come knocking on their door.

“We are good people, we are not hiding any criminal and no one who lives in this house has committed a crime in the U.S.,” Juan said in Spanish. “We have behaved, we’ve done things the right way, and that’s why we didn’t fear we were going to go through this.”

But when immigration officers knocked on their door, Marian said she felt like they treated Carlos like a criminal.

“He doesn’t represent nor has any marks on his body that shows he’s a danger to society, he doesn’t have any tattoos … he doesn’t have any scars,” Marian said, adding that Carlos hobbies were playing soccer with his cousins, and spending time with his family.

Now she worries about what will happen to him.

“We want to get him out, and leave,” Marian said.

Mixed signals

Since Trump took office, the social media page of ICE on X has been posting photos of migrants arrested along with their alleged crimes: driving under the influence, possession of child pornography, assault, robbery.

The day Carlos was arrested, about 1,100 people were arrested by ICE across the country, the agency reported on social media.

NBC News reported, however, that 48 percent of the people arrested didn’t have a criminal record.

ICE didn’t respond to multiple requests for a breakdown of who’s been arrested and for what crimes.

In a press briefing last week, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked how many people arrested had a criminal record. She said, “All of them, because they illegally broke our nation’s laws, and, therefore, they are criminals, as far as this administration goes.”

But Carlos came to the U.S. through a legal pathway, although the CBP One app he used was shut down by Trump as soon as he took office.

Carlos is currently detained at an ICE detention facility in Taylor, Texas. His parents say he has not been charged with any crime. It’s unclear whether he’ll eventually be deported to Venezuela – or released.

Raha Walla, the vice president for strategy and campaign at the National Immigration Law Center, called Trump’s actions “deeply cruel,” particular to innocent immigrants.

“This administration has taken every potential authority it has to detain and deport immigrants,” Wala said. “It’s increasingly challenging for innocent individuals to be able to get out of detention if they are even accused of committing a crime and it’s just deeply unfortunate.”

Walla said it’s important for families to have a family preparedness plan in place ahead of potential arrests.

Grim future

It’s unclear what will happen to Carlos at this point.

Marian, his stepmother, said his arrest is tearing their family apart.

“We came here together,” Marian said. “How will we leave?”

She worries about one of them being detained by immigration agents. What will happen to her daughter and her two-year-old son?

There’s not much they can do at this point, they said.

Juan, Carlos’ dad, said he’d like Trump to show mercy on his family.

“Forgive my son if he came in through a way he was not supposed to come to this country, but we all came that way because the previous administration gave us that opportunity,” Juan said. “I’m sorry for all of us who came through the CBP One app, but we all came here to do good.”