A coalition of Republican members of Congress has sent a letter to Acting U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Director Todd Lyons, urging the agency to focus its resources on deporting migrants with convictions for violent crimes rather than those without criminal records. The letter, dated June 11, 2025, was led by Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) and signed by five other House Republicans representing districts along the southern border.

In their letter, the lawmakers acknowledged the Trump administration’s intensified immigration enforcement efforts, which have resulted in a dramatic increase in ICE arrests and a recent surge in deportations. However, they expressed concern that ICE’s limited resources could be stretched too thin by targeting individuals who do not pose an immediate threat to public safety. The letter states, “Every minute that we spend pursuing an individual with a clean record is a minute less that we dedicate to apprehending terrorists or cartel operatives.”

The administration has set a target of at least 3,000 arrests per day.

The lawmakers emphasized that while all who cross the border illegally are subject to U.S. laws, “there are levels of priority that must be considered when it comes to immigration enforcement.” They called for “absolute priority to every violent offender and convicted criminal illegal alien present in our nation,” warning that diverting resources to other objectives “puts our national security at risk.”

The letter follows up on information obtained by Rep. Gonzales last year, which cites over 600,000 individuals with criminal charges, more than 65% of whom were convicted of crimes such as murder, sexual assault, and smuggling, were on ICE’s docket and residing in the U.S. The lawmakers requested updated information on:

• How many of the estimated 100,000 individuals deported since January 2025 were convicted criminals, with a breakdown of offenses.
• How many deportees were from ICE’s previous docket.
• How many had ties to criminal enterprises or gangs like Tren de Aragua.
• Obstacles faced in repatriating these individuals, including resistance from countries of origin.
• Additional resources or authorities ICE requires from Congress to enhance enforcement efforts.

ICE was given a deadline of June 30 to respond to these questions.

According to the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University, about 44% of the 51,302 individuals in ICE custody as of June 1, 2025, had no criminal record apart from unauthorized entry.

ICE data from February and March 2025 show that approximately half of those deported in February did not have criminal records, and more than half of current detainees face no criminal charges or convictions.

NBC News and other outlets report that, in the first two weeks of February 2025, 41% of new ICE detainees lacked criminal convictions or pending charges. As of early June, about 44% of detainees had no criminal record.

The letter aligns with President Trump’s stated border security agenda, which has included a dramatic increase in interior ICE arrests and a push for expanded detention capacity and funding for enforcement. The administration’s “Big Beautiful Bill” includes over $150 billion for immigration enforcement, with $45 billion earmarked for detention alone.