U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is a federal law‑enforcement agency inside the Department of Homeland Security. Its mission is to "protect America through criminal investigations and enforcing immigration laws" to preserve national security and public safety. In practice, its main responsibilities are:
• Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO): finding, arresting, detaining, and deporting non‑U.S. citizens who are removable under immigration law, mostly inside the U.S. interior. • Homeland Security Investigations (HSI): investigating cross‑border crimes such as human smuggling and trafficking, drug and weapons smuggling, financial and cyber crimes, and other violations of customs and immigration laws.
Under U.S. law, an "alien" is simply "any person not a citizen or national of the United States." That definition comes from the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).
In practice: • "Illegal alien" is not a defined term in the statute; it is a political/enforcement phrase usually used to mean a non‑U.S. citizen who lacks current legal permission to be in the country (for example, entered without inspection or overstayed a visa). • When ICE or politicians say "criminal illegal alien," they typically mean a non‑citizen who both (1) has no lawful immigration status and (2) has been charged with or convicted of one or more crimes in the U.S. ICE’s Criminal Alien Program, for example, targets non‑citizens with criminal records for arrest and removal. This is an enforcement label, not a precise legal category in the INA. • "Undocumented immigrant" (or "unauthorized immigrant") is a more neutral term used by courts and legal scholars for any non‑citizen living in the U.S. without current legal authorization, whether or not the person has ever been arrested or convicted.
The "Worst of the Worst" designation is a Department of Homeland Security and ICE communications initiative, not a formal legal status. DHS launched a "Arrested: Worst of the Worst" webpage and a series of press releases that highlight selected non‑citizens with serious or repeated criminal convictions who have been arrested by ICE.
The DHS site describes this as part of a campaign to carry out mass deportations "starting with the worst of the worst," and provides a searchable database of featured cases. It is a curated list of cases ICE chooses to showcase; it is not a complete list of everyone ICE arrests.
In the July 22, 2025 and December 5, 2025 DHS press releases, officials claim that "70% of ICE’s arrests have been of illegal aliens convicted or charged with crimes" or that "70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens who have been charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S." However:
• The press releases do not specify the exact time period (for example, since what date in 2025), whether the figure covers all ICE arrests or only a subset (such as interior civil immigration arrests by ERO), or how they count people with pending charges versus convictions. • DHS has not released a public technical explanation or dataset showing how this 70% was calculated, so outside analysts cannot independently verify the method. • Independent analysis of ICE data by researchers at Syracuse University’s TRAC, summarized by Econofact, finds that as of late 2025 a majority of people in ICE detention had no criminal conviction, which suggests the 70% figure is based on a narrower definition or subset of arrests than the overall detainee population.
So, based on publicly available information, the precise time frame and inclusion rules behind the "70%" statistic are not known.
What happens after an ICE arrest depends on whether the arrest is for criminal prosecution, immigration enforcement, or both, but the common steps are:
Processing and possible detention: After ICE takes someone into custody, they are processed (identity, fingerprints, database checks). Many people are then held in civil immigration detention facilities run or overseen by ICE’s Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO).
Criminal prosecution (if applicable): If ICE’s investigative arm (Homeland Security Investigations) or other authorities believe the person committed federal crimes (such as human trafficking, immigration document fraud, or smuggling), the case is referred to a U.S. Attorney. The person can be held in criminal custody and prosecuted in federal court. Any immigration case usually proceeds after the criminal case is resolved.
Immigration proceedings: For civil immigration enforcement, ERO typically starts removal (deportation) proceedings by serving a Notice to Appear and filing it with the immigration court (part of the Justice Department). An immigration judge then decides whether the person is removable and whether they qualify for any relief (such as asylum or cancellation of removal). Some people are released from detention on bond or under supervision while their case is pending.
Existing removal orders: If the person already has a final removal (deportation) order, ICE can often bypass a new court case and move directly to carry out the removal, subject to travel documents and logistics.
Outcome: Outcomes include deportation, voluntary departure, termination of the case, or lawful status if the person wins some form of relief.
Tricia McLaughlin is the Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. In that role, DHS states that she oversees the department’s public outreach and communications, including media relations, digital and strategic messaging, and crisis communications, and serves as the principal communications advisor to the Homeland Security Secretary.
Yes. The press release specifies that the listed convictions occurred in U.S. jurisdictions such as Benton County, Washington; New York, New York; San Diego, California; Queens, New York; and Harris County, Texas, which indicates that the convictions were entered by U.S. state or local courts.
Official court or case records for those convictions are maintained by the courts in those areas. Members of the public can usually search or request these records through the relevant state or county court systems—for example:
• Washington State Courts’ statewide name‑and‑case search, which includes Benton County cases. • The Superior Court of California, County of San Diego’s online case search system for criminal cases. • The Harris County, Texas District Clerk’s online search portal for criminal case records.
Similar online tools or clerk’s offices exist for New York City and Queens criminal courts, where records can be requested or searched by name or case number.