Over 451,000 criminal non-citizens have been arrested and booked in local prisons over the past 14 years, according to the latest report from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS).
Among them, 322,000 have been identified as illegally in the United States based on available US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data.
Law enforcement collaboration and data scope
Data ranges from June 1, 2011 to February 28, 2025, and includes arrests by DPS and local law enforcement agencies participating in DHS’s Secure Communities Program. With this initiative, DHS will work with state and local officials to obtain custody of illegal foreigners pose a public safety risk and prevent release to the community.
This report covers only Texas crimes and does not include criminal records from other states, federal charges, or crimes committed by legally presented foreigners.
Crimes and convictions
Among 322,000 confirmed illegal aliens, authorities have charged more than 564,000 criminal offences, including:
1,043 murder fees
73,025 Attack Fee
10,096 Robbery Fees
Drug Fees of 65,896
1,371 invitation fee
28,601 Theft Fee
44,080 obstructs police accusations
3,214 Robbery Fees
7,177 sexual assault fees
8,189 Sexual Crime Fees
7,024 weapon fees
These arrests resulted in 208,000 convictions, including:
533 In the case of murder
26,670 in case of assault
5,147 for robbers
27,093 of drug crimes
391 of the Enquiry
10,740 for theft
17,084 to obstruct the police
1,834 for robbers
3,508 for sexual assault
3,733 for Sexual Crimes
For 2,263 weapon fees
Data Limitations and Identification Challenges
The report illegally tracks foreigners in the US, but not all arrested people appear in the DHS database at the time of their arrest. Citizenship status is determined through fingerprint matches on DHS records. If the arrested person’s fingerprints are not yet in the system, they cannot confirm the status of the immigrant at that moment.
Furthermore, those who enter the country illegally without detection, known as “Gotaway,” may not be included in the DHS database even after being arrested for a state crime. As a result, anything that is not included in the database is not included in the DPS report.
Texas Prison System and Additional Identification
Beyond safe community programs, DHS also reviews the status of foreign immigration in the Texas prison system. Between 2011 and February 28, 2025, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) provided DPS with records of more than 33,000 illegal aliens identified by the DHS during their incarceration. Of these, 11,001 were not flagged by the Safe Community Program at the time of arrest.
These individuals were jailed for more than 11,016 criminal offences, including:
151 murder fee
1,437 assault fees
600 Robbery Fees
Drug Fees of 1,933
65 Invitation Fees
544 Theft Fee
1,041 obstructs police accusations
423 Robbery Fees
946 Sexual Assault Fees
440 Sexual Crimes
278 Weapon Fees
DPS criminal history data shows that these crimes have led to more than 6,000 convictions.
Recent increase in arrests
The latest figures show an increase from more than 443,000 criminal non-citizen arrests, including 314,000 confirmed illegal immigrants as of September 30, 2024.
In 2023 alone, local law enforcement agencies reported the arrests of almost 50,000 non-citizens.
Final notes on data interpretation
The DPS emphasizes that arrest and claim data do not necessarily correspond to the total number of illegal non-citizens who are in prison at certain times. A more comprehensive understanding arises from examining the full criminal history in Texas, as well as crimes committed during this particular period.
This report was updated using data as of March 1, 2025.
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