Central NY NewsUpdated: Apr. 11, 2026, 8:20 a.m.Published: Apr. 09, 2026, 6:00 a.m.Protesters gather along South Salina Street in Clinton Square to protest ICE during National Shutdown Day Friday, Jan. 30, 2026, in Syracuse, N.Y. Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.comBy Michelle Breidenbach | mbreidenbach@syracuse.comThe number of people arrested by federal immigration agents in Onondaga County jumped fivefold from 2024 to 2025 – the first year of President Donald Trump’s second term.Three quarters of those arrested have no criminal history, records show.U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested at least 289 people in Onondaga County in 2025, according to government data provided in response to a FOIA request processed by the Deportation Data Project and analyzed by syracuse.com | The Post-Standard.The records show just 56 arrests in 2024 – the last year of President Joe Biden’s term. Just 28 people were arrested by ICE agents in Onondaga County in 2023, records show.When Trump took office, he launched an aggressive campaign to detain and deport immigrants who entered the country without seeking permission. Trump said ICE agents would rid the U.S. of the “worst of the worst” criminals.The new data shows 74% of the nearly 300 people arrested in the Syracuse area had no prior convictions or pending criminal charges.Just 51 people arrested by ICE in Onondaga County last year had been convicted of a crime, the data shows. The data does not show levels of crimes or when they were committed. Across the country, ICE continues to arrest and deport people who are not criminals. Few people in immigration courts face deportation based on alleged criminal activity, according to new data released this week by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse at Syracuse University.Just 2% of cases the federal government brought to court in February this year claimed criminal activity. In 98% of cases, the government asked an immigration judge for a removal order based on violations such as entry without inspection or overstaying a visa, according to data analyzed by TRAC. The percent of people with criminal activity is getting lower as Trump continues his campaign this year, the data shows.Syracuse.com’s reporting since January 2025 shows the aggressive enforcement is sweeping up people who have not committed crimes.ICE agents have detained people who were actively pursuing asylum and green cards. In fact, ICE agents arrested many people when they appeared in the agents’ offices for regular check-ins.That includes the owners of Chinese restaurants, painters and builders who have owned homes and businesses in the U.S. for decades. ICE arrested two union hospital workers - a married couple - with pending asylum claims.Arrests ramped up in the second half of 2025, from 8 in January to a high of 60 people in October. At least 82 people have been arrested so far this year, through March 10, records show.If the aggressive enforcement continues, ICE is on pace to arrest more than 450 people in Onondaga County in 2026.Several local residents have been released from ICE custody on bond in recent months, allowing them to continue their pending cases from home. Their lawyers were able to prove to immigration court judges that they are not flight risks or threats to society.The data confirms the stories immigrants and advocates have shared about the methods and kinds of people ICE is going after in Central New York. But it shows dozens of arrests that went unnoticed by the media and advocates who volunteer on rapid response teams.The Deportation Data Project is collecting data on ICE arrests and detentions, using the Freedom of Information Act. It does not show a complete picture of immigration enforcement.The data does not include arrests made by Border Patrol agents or Homeland Security Investigations, another branch of ICE. It does not include arrests made by local police who may be cooperating with the federal government. It also does not include unaccompanied children in the custody of the Office of Refugee Resettlement, researchers said.The data shows just three arrests last year in Cayuga County – home of the biggest workplace raid in Upstate New York. In September, Border Patrol agents arrested 57 people in a raid on a nutrition bar factory.The data shows only eight arrests in Oswego County, where Border Patrol has worked with the sheriff to detain people after traffic stops. Appeals court rejects Trump’s no-bond immigration detentions, sets stage for Supreme Court reviewFederal judge orders ICE, border patrol to release records sought by Syracuse groupICE shipped a NY man to Louisiana. A total stranger got him homeICE releases Camden’s Chinese restaurant owner after 9 monthsThe human cost of oversimplifying immigration (Guest Opinion by Kate Coleman)Michelle Breidenbach covers immigration, Interstate 81, rebuilding the East Adams neighborhood, real estate assessment, property taxes, lead paint poisoning and other public affairs topics for Syracuse.com and...