More than 451,000 criminal noncitizens have been arrested and booked into Texas jails over the past 14 years, according to a report from the Texas Department of Public Safety.
Of those arrested, 322,000 have been confirmed as being in the U.S. illegally, based on data from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
The report spans the period from June 1, 2011, to Feb. 28, 2025, and reflects the participation of DPS and local law enforcement agencies in DHS's Secure Communities program. This initiative allows DHS to collaborate with state and local authorities to take custody of illegal foreign nationals who pose public safety risks, preventing their release into local communities.
The data is limited to Texas state offenses, excluding criminal records from other states, federal charges, and crimes by those lawfully residing in the U.S. Among the 322,000 confirmed illegal foreign nationals, they faced charges for over 564,000 combined criminal offenses. These include 1,043 charges for homicide, 73,025 for assault, 10,096 for burglary, 65,896 for drug-related crimes, 1,371 for kidnapping, 28,601 for theft, 44,080 for obstructing police, 3,214 for robbery, 7,177 for sexual assault, 8,189 for other sexual offenses, and 7,024 for weapons-related offenses.
The report also outlines that these charges led to 208,000 convictions. Convictions include 533 for homicide, 26,670 for assault, 5,147 for burglary, 27,093 for drug crimes, 391 for kidnapping, 10,740 for theft, 17,084 for obstructing police, 1,834 for robbery, 3,508 for sexual assault, 3,733 for other sexual offenses, and 2,263 for weapons charges.
DPS clarified that the data pertains solely to individuals verified as being in the country illegally at the time of their arrest. However, not all arrested individuals are immediately verified in the DHS database, as fingerprint matches are required to confirm immigration status. If an arrestee's fingerprints are not yet recorded in the DHS database, their immigration status cannot be biometrically confirmed at the time of their arrest.
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