In Scripture, God speaks repeatedly about how we treat the foreigner, the migrant, and the stranger. Yet in modern public conversation, especially around immigration policy, there is a widespread narrative that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is mainly detaining and deporting violent criminals.
As people of faith, we are called to seek truth, because Scripture reminds us:
“You shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”
John 8:32
So let us look honestly at what the data actually shows, and what God’s Word calls us to do when confronting fear and stigma with compassion and clarity.
What the Data Really Says
Most People in ICE Custody Have No Criminal Conviction
According to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), nearly 74 percent of people held in ICE detention have no criminal conviction at all. Many are detained solely for civil immigration violations, not criminal offenses.
https://tracreports.org/immigration/quickfacts/
This directly contradicts the claim that ICE detention primarily targets violent criminals.
Violent Crime Convictions Are Rare
Of those who do have criminal records, only a very small fraction have violent criminal convictions. One detailed analysis found that only about 5 percent of ICE detainees had a violent conviction, while the vast majority of convictions were for nonviolent offenses such as traffic violations, immigration related offenses, or low level drug possession.
https://www.alexnowrasteh.com/p/5-of-ice-detainees-have-violent-convictions
This means that while some people detained or deported have committed crimes, most are not dangerous criminals in the way political rhetoric often implies.
Deportation Data Shows the Same Pattern
Investigative reporting by The Marshall Project found that among more than 120,000 people deported during a recent period, approximately two thirds had no criminal conviction. Only about 12 percent were convicted of violent or potentially violent crimes.
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2025/08/15/ice-georgia-traffic-stop-arrest-immigration
Government Claims Versus Independent Data
Current political messaging frequently frames immigration enforcement as targeting “criminal illegal aliens” for the sake of public safety. However, independent analyses of government data show a very different reality. An increasing share of those arrested and detained by ICE have no criminal record at all, and the proportion with violent convictions remains small.
This does not mean there are no serious crimes in the world. It means the data does not support the claim that the majority of people detained or deported are violent criminals.
What Scripture Has Always Said
Long before modern borders or immigration systems existed, God spoke clearly about how strangers and foreigners are to be treated.
“You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.”
-Deuteronomy 10:19
This command is rooted in memory and humility. Remember who you were. Remember your vulnerability.
The psalmist declares:
“The Lord watches over the strangers; he upholds the orphan and the widow.”
-Psalm 146:9
This is not a political statement. It is a declaration about God’s character.
Jesus goes even further. In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus identifies himself with those who are most vulnerable:
“I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
-Matthew 25:35
And then he makes it unmistakably clear:
“Just as you did it to one of the least of these, you did it to me.”
-Matthew 25:40
Jesus does not ask why the stranger is a stranger. Jesus asks whether we welcomed them.
Why This Matters for Our Faith
Truth matters because fear thrives when truth is ignored.
When immigration policy is justified by fear based narratives rather than facts, families are separated, communities are harmed, and the biblical call to hospitality is overshadowed.
Scripture does not call us to ignore complexity or reality. It calls us to discernment grounded in love.
“What does the Lord require of you
but to do justice,
and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?”
-Micah 6:8
A Call to Compassionate Clarity
Our faith does not ask us to abandon concern for safety or law. It does ask us to reject false narratives and to see people as God sees them.
Every statistic represents a human being. Every detainee has a name, a family, a story, and inherent dignity as someone made in the image of God.
When we welcome the migrant, we may be welcoming Christ himself.
A Prayer
Gracious God,
Open our eyes to see the humanity in every person.
Open our ears to hear voices that are threatened or ignored.
Open our hearts to love as you love, without fear or exclusion.
Guide us in justice, kindness, and humility,
that we might reflect your compassion in all we do.
Amen.
Thin Places: A Pastor’s Reflections on Grace and Grit 