# Quarter of ICE arrests labeled 'collateral,' raising civil rights concerns  
**Published:** 2026-05-04T09:30:56.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/04/repub/immigration-street-sweeps-led-to-more-collateral-arrests-of-noncriminals/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/quarter-of-ice-arrests-labeled-collateral-raising-civil-rights-concerns

A quarter of immigration arrests since August have been labeled by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement as "collateral," a type of arrest and detention that's been challenged in court as circumventing civil rights protections, according to an analysis of [federal data obtained by the Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/04/repub/immigration-street-sweeps-led-to-more-collateral-arrests-of-noncriminals/). About 64,000 people were arrested this way between August and early March, representing a significant shift in immigration enforcement tactics during the Trump administration's mass deportation campaign.

Unlike traditional immigration arrests based on preexisting warrants or removal orders, collateral arrests result from street sweeps and raids where individuals are singled out based on appearance or proximity to someone wanted on a warrant. Agents can detain people if they believe they may be subject to deportation and are likely to flee if released. Approximately 70 percent of those arrested through collateral means faced only immigration-related violations, compared to 41 percent of those arrested on warrants. Less than 2 percent of collateral arrests involved conviction of violent crimes, one-third the rate of traditional arrests.

[Nebraska has seen a dramatic surge in ICE enforcement](https://thereader.com/2026/03/05/theres-fear-ice-arrests-surge-in-nebraska-with-329-increase-in-2025/), with arrests jumping 329 percent in the first 10 months of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024. The number of detainees grew from 291 to 1,246. Additionally, [more than 20 immigrants detained in Minnesota have been sent to Nebraska county jails](https://flatwaterfreepress.org/as-minnesota-ice-crackdown-continues-detainees-quietly-transferred-to-nebraska-jails/) since federal operations intensified in December.

[The University of Nebraska College of Law announced it is closing its immigration clinic](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/nebraska-immigration-law-clinic-shutting-down-amid-surge-in-ice-arrests/), which has operated for nearly 30 years, citing the inability to staff the program amid surging demand for legal representation. The number of habeas corpus petitions challenging detention has increased dramatically, with 60 filed statewide since September.

Public outrage over the arrests, particularly following raids in Minneapolis and Chicago that swept up noncriminals, appears to have tempered large-scale operations. Total arrests fell from more than 40,000 in December to 30,000 in February. [The Trump administration says it is taking a quieter approach to enforcement](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/05/01/immigration-ice-border-trump-mass-deportations/906891a0-4551-11f1-b19d-32431046b5b4_story.html) while maintaining its deportation goals. Collateral arrests have been challenged in multiple federal lawsuits, with judges in some cases finding them unconstitutional.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/04/repub/immigration-street-sweeps-led-to-more-collateral-arrests-of-noncriminals/)
- [The Reader: ICE arrests surge in Nebraska with 329% increase](https://thereader.com/2026/03/05/theres-fear-ice-arrests-surge-in-nebraska-with-329-increase-in-2025/)
- [Flatwater Free Press: Detainees transferred from Minnesota to Nebraska jails](https://flatwaterfreepress.org/as-minnesota-ice-crackdown-continues-detainees-quietly-transferred-to-nebraska-jails/)
- [Nebraska Public Media: Immigration law clinic closing amid surge](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/nebraska-immigration-law-clinic-shutting-down-amid-surge-in-ice-arrests/)
- [Washington Post: Trump administration recalibrates immigration enforcement](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/05/01/immigration-ice-border-trump-mass-deportations/906891a0-4551-11f1-b19d-32431046b5b4_story.html)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 3 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/2026/05/04/repub/immigration-street-sweeps-led-to-more-collateral-arrests-of-noncriminals/.