Low-level arrests are rising despite national crime declines

Arrests for low-level offenses, including vagrancy and drug possession, increased nationwide in 2025, even as violent crime continued to decline, according to a new analysis of federal data. The analysis, which was released in late October by the criminal justice advocacy organization FWD.us, found that arrests for vagrancy, an offense often associated with homelessness, rose 44% between 2024 and 2025, while arrests for marijuana possession increased 6% and possession of other drugs rose 3%. Arrests for immigration violations nearly tripled, rising 188% between 2024 and 2025, amid President Donald Trump’s crackdown on illegal immigration. The increase continued into 2026, with an average of 36,093 arrests per month through July — nearly four times the monthly average in 2024, according to the report.

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