A newly updated report from the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS) reveals that more than 451,000 criminal noncitizens have been arrested and booked into local Texas jails between June 1, 2011, and February 28, 2025. Among them, 322,000 were confirmed to be in the U.S. illegally, based on U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data.
Key Findings from the DPS Report
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The 322,000 confirmed illegal immigrants were charged with more than 564,000 criminal offenses, including:
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1,043 homicide charges
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73,025 assault charges
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10,096 burglary charges
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65,896 drug charges
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1,371 kidnapping charges
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7,177 sexual assault charges
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7,024 weapon charges
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These offenses led to 208,000 convictions, with 533 for homicide, 26,670 for assault, 3,508 for sexual assault, and 2,263 for weapons-related crimes.
Challenges in Identifying Illegal Status
DPS explains that not all arrested individuals are immediately verified as noncitizens, as their fingerprints may not be in the DHS database at the time of arrest. This means the actual number of criminal noncitizens could be higher.
Additionally, Texas’ prison system, in coordination with DHS, has identified 33,000 illegal foreign nationals while they were incarcerated. These individuals were responsible for over 11,016 criminal offenses, including:
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151 homicides
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1,437 assaults
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946 sexual assaults
Increase in Arrests Over Time
The latest report reflects an increase from 443,000 arrests as of September 2024, with nearly 50,000 arrests recorded in 2023 alone.
DPS emphasizes that these statistics do not necessarily reflect the total number of illegal noncitizens in the state, as many enter undetected or commit crimes in other jurisdictions. The Secure Communities program continues to assist law enforcement in identifying and removing those who pose a threat to public safety.
