Fact check: What percentage of detained immigrants have been convicted of felonies versus misdemeanors?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, approximately 40% of ICE detainees have criminal convictions, while 60% have no criminal convictions beyond immigration or traffic-related offenses ^[1]. However, the data reveals a crucial distinction in the types of criminal convictions:

• Only 8-10% of detainees have been convicted of serious violent crimes such as murder, assault, robbery, or rape ^{[2] [1]}
• The majority of those with criminal convictions were for non-violent offenses, primarily traffic violations and DUIs ^{[1] [3]}
• More than 75% of people booked into ICE custody in fiscal year 2025 had no criminal conviction other than immigration or traffic-related offenses ^[2]

The data shows that approximately 30,000 people are currently in ICE detention without any criminal record, and this number has nearly doubled since May ^[4].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks several critical pieces of context that significantly alter the interpretation of detention statistics:

• The question doesn't distinguish between felonies and misdemeanors specifically, but the analyses reveal that the vast majority of criminal convictions are for minor, non-violent offenses rather than serious felonies ^[1]
• There has been a dramatic shift in ICE detention practices, with non-criminal detentions representing the sharpest growth in the detention population ^[4]
• Immigration enforcement advocates would benefit from emphasizing the 40% figure with criminal convictions to justify expanded detention policies, while immigrant rights organizations would benefit from highlighting that roughly 90% of detainees have no serious criminal convictions ^{[2] [1]}
• Local facilities like Butler County Jail show even lower rates, with less than one-third having any criminal conviction ^[3], suggesting geographic variation in detention practices

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself contains an implicit bias by framing the issue around felonies versus misdemeanors, which suggests that having any criminal conviction justifies detention. This framing obscures several key facts:

• The question implies that misdemeanor convictions are significant, when the data shows most are traffic offenses and DUIs rather than crimes against persons ^{[1] [3]}
• The binary felony/misdemeanor framework ignores that the majority of detainees (60%) have no criminal convictions at all beyond immigration violations ^{[2] [4]}
• The question doesn't acknowledge the recent policy shift that has led to a doubling of non-criminal detentions since May, suggesting the statistics may be used to justify expanded enforcement rather than provide objective information ^[4]

The framing benefits those who support expanded immigration enforcement by creating a false impression that most detainees are criminals, when the data clearly shows that 90% have no serious criminal convictions ^[2].