The Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) has shared a new report showing that more than 451,000 noncitizens have been arrested and jailed in Texas over the last 14 years. This data includes arrests made between June 1, 2011, and February 28, 2025.
Out of the total number, 322,000 individuals were confirmed to be in the United States illegally. This information comes from records provided by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
What the Report Covers
The report highlights how state and local law enforcement, along with DPS, are working closely with DHS under the Secure Communities program. This program helps identify foreign nationals who are in the U.S. illegally and who are considered threats to public safety. It also helps ensure these individuals do not get released back into local communities after being arrested.
However, it is important to note that the report covers only offenses committed in Texas. It does not include:
- Crimes committed in other U.S. states,
- Federal offenses,
- Crimes committed by noncitizens who are legally residing in the U.S.
Types of Crimes and Charges
The 322,000 confirmed illegal noncitizens were charged with over 564,000 combined criminal offenses during this period. The breakdown of charges is quite serious and shows how wide the range of crimes is. Here’s a summary:
- 1,043 charges for homicide
- 73,025 charges for assault
- 10,096 charges for burglary
- 65,896 charges for drug-related crimes
- 1,371 charges for kidnapping
- 28,601 charges for theft
- 44,080 charges for obstructing police
- 3,214 charges for robbery
- 7,177 charges for sexual assault
- 8,189 charges for other sexual offenses
- 7,024 charges for weapons-related offenses
Convictions From These Arrests
The data also shows that many of these charges resulted in actual convictions. In total, there were around 208,000 convictions from these cases. Here’s a breakdown of the convictions:
- 533 convictions for homicide
- 26,670 convictions for assault
- 5,147 convictions for burglary
- 27,093 convictions for drug crimes
- 391 convictions for kidnapping
- 10,740 convictions for theft
- 17,084 convictions for obstructing police
- 1,834 convictions for robbery
- 3,508 convictions for sexual assault
- 3,733 convictions for other sexual offenses
- 2,263 convictions for weapons offenses
How Immigration Status Is Verified
DPS made it clear that these numbers only include individuals who were verified as being in the U.S. illegally at the time of their arrest. However, confirming someone’s immigration status isn’t always immediate. The verification process depends on matching fingerprints with records in the DHS database.
If an arrested person’s fingerprints are not already in DHS’s system, their immigration status cannot be confirmed right away. This means that some individuals might not be listed as illegal noncitizens at the time of their arrest, even if they are.
Why This Data Matters
This report highlights the importance of collaboration between state law enforcement and federal agencies to handle cases involving illegal immigration and public safety. It also gives an idea of the scale of crime involving noncitizens over the years in Texas.
The Secure Communities program continues to play a key role in making sure that individuals who pose a risk to public safety do not re-enter local communities without proper legal procedures.
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