DHS claims 70% of ICE arrests nationwide involve noncitizens charged or convicted of crimes

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Evidence is incomplete or still developing; a future update may resolve it. Learn more in Methodology.

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ICE arrest data and DHS/ICE official statistics confirm whether 70% of ICE arrests nationwide involved individuals charged with or convicted of crimes at the stated time period.

Source summary
The Department of Homeland Security reported arrests in Minnesota during Operation Metro Surge of several noncitizens the agency describes as "criminal illegal aliens," including individuals accused or convicted of kidnapping, child rape, assault on an officer, drug sales, and document fraud. DHS named six people and listed prior removal orders or previous removals for some, and quoted Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin saying 70% of ICE arrests nationwide are of noncitizens charged or convicted of crimes. DHS provided a link to a page showing the Minnesota cases.
Latest fact check

ICE/DHS have repeatedly used a 70% figure; ICE's FY2024 ERO reporting (point-in-time annual numbers) can be read to show about 71–72% of ERO arrests in FY2024 were people recorded as having convictions or pending charges. However, independent public snapshots and analyses of ICE detention populations and biweekly ERO arrest releases during 2025 show a substantially different picture (large shares with no convictions and many with pending charges), and data definitions ("arrests" vs. "detentions", time period, point-in-time vs. cumulative counts, and how "criminal" is categorized) differ across sources. Because the claim in the DHS press release lacks a clear citation to a specific dataset or time period and ICE/DHS reporting uses multiple, sometimes noncomparable metrics, the statement cannot be definitively verified as true or false without specifying the exact dataset and period; the evidence is mixed and sensitive to definition and timing.

2 months, 11 days
Next scheduled update: Apr 27, 2026
2 months, 11 days

Timeline

  1. Scheduled follow-up · Apr 27, 2026
  2. Completion due · Apr 27, 2026
  3. Update · Jan 28, 2026, 09:13 AMUnclear
    ICE/DHS have repeatedly used a 70% figure; ICE's FY2024 ERO reporting (point-in-time annual numbers) can be read to show about 71–72% of ERO arrests in FY2024 were people recorded as having convictions or pending charges. However, independent public snapshots and analyses of ICE detention populations and biweekly ERO arrest releases during 2025 show a substantially different picture (large shares with no convictions and many with pending charges), and data definitions ("arrests" vs. "detentions", time period, point-in-time vs. cumulative counts, and how "criminal" is categorized) differ across sources. Because the claim in the DHS press release lacks a clear citation to a specific dataset or time period and ICE/DHS reporting uses multiple, sometimes noncomparable metrics, the statement cannot be definitively verified as true or false without specifying the exact dataset and period; the evidence is mixed and sensitive to definition and timing.
  4. Original article · Jan 27, 2026

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