DHS claims 70% of ICE arrests are of people charged or convicted of crimes in the U.S.

Misleading

Facts are technically correct but framed in a way that likely leads to a wrong impression. Learn more in Methodology.

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Published ICE or DHS data/statistical reports support that 70% of ICE arrests meet the "charged or convicted" criterion over the same time period referenced by DHS.

Source summary

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security on Jan. 28, 2026 issued a press release saying ICE arrested multiple noncitizens it described as the "worst of the worst," including several individuals the release says were convicted of child sexual offenses and violent assaults. The release names five people, lists their alleged crimes and locations, and directs readers to WOW.DHS.Gov for additional cases. DHS also stated that 70% of ICE arrests are of noncitizens charged or convicted of crimes in the United States.

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Latest fact check

DHS/ICE has publicly used a "70%" figure (DHS press releases have repeated the claim). Independent analyses and ICE's own public data show the share depends on timeframe and definitions: UC Berkeley/UCLA's Deportation Data Project and PolitiFact found roughly 64–66% of ICE arrests from Jan. 20–Oct. 15, 2025 had convictions or pending charges, while ICE's point-in-time detention snapshot in early January 2026 showed about 52% with convictions or pending charges; only ~5–7% had violent convictions. Verdict: Misleading — the 70% statistic can be produced by selecting certain cumulative intervals and by counting pending charges as "criminals," but it overstates or lacks context for contemporaneous snapshots and conceals that many convictions are for nonviolent/minor offenses, so the claim is true in some narrow framings but presented without required context.

Sources

Timeline

Update · Jan 29, 2026, 05:16 AMMisleading
DHS/ICE has publicly used a "70%" figure (DHS press releases have repeated the claim). Independent analyses and ICE's own public data show the share depends on timeframe and definitions: UC Berkeley/UCLA's Deportation Data Project and PolitiFact found roughly 64–66% of ICE arrests from Jan. 20–Oct. 15, 2025 had convictions or pending charges, while ICE's point-in-time detention snapshot in early January 2026 showed about 52% with convictions or pending charges; only ~5–7% had violent convictions. Verdict: Misleading — the 70% statistic can be produced by selecting certain cumulative intervals and by counting pending charges as "criminals," but it overstates or lacks context for contemporaneous snapshots and conceals that many convictions are for nonviolent/minor offenses, so the claim is true in some narrow framings but presented without required context.
Original article · Jan 28, 2026
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