Fact check: What percentage of ICE arrests are due to felony convictions?

1. Summary of the results

The analyses provided offer varying insights into the percentage of ICE arrests due to felony convictions. According to ^[1], approximately 79 percent of ICE deportations from the interior in FY 2021-24 were of someone with a criminal conviction, suggesting a significant portion of ICE arrests are related to felony convictions ^[1]. Similarly, ^[2] states that about 90 percent of all people arrested by ICE during fiscal year 2018 had a criminal conviction, a pending criminal charge, or were subject to a judge’s final order of removal, further indicating a high percentage of arrests are related to felony convictions ^[2]. However, ^[3] reports that 70.4% of current ICE detainees have no criminal convictions, implying that only 29.6% have criminal convictions, but does not specify the percentage of arrests due to felony convictions ^[3]. Additionally, ^[4] notes that 71.7% of people detained by ICE have no criminal convictions, and only 6.9% of those with convictions had committed a violent crime, which seems to contradict the higher estimates ^[4].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

A key missing context in the original statement is the distinction between the percentage of ICE detainees with criminal convictions and the specific percentage of arrests due to felony convictions. ^[5] reports that more than 1,000 of the 2,059 individuals arrested had felony convictions, but does not provide a specific percentage of ICE arrests due to felony convictions ^[5]. Moreover, ^[6] highlights that 71.1% of people held in ICE detention have no criminal conviction, with many of those convicted committing only minor offenses, which provides an alternative viewpoint on the nature of ICE arrests ^[6]. The analyses also lack a clear definition of what constitutes a "felony conviction" in the context of ICE arrests, which could impact the interpretation of the data ^[7]. Furthermore, ^[8] lists several examples of criminal illegal aliens arrested, including some with felony convictions, but does not provide a comprehensive overview of the percentage of ICE arrests due to felony convictions ^[8].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement may be subject to potential misinformation or bias, as it does not account for the complexity of ICE arrest data. ^[1] and ^[2] may benefit from emphasizing the high percentage of ICE arrests related to felony convictions, as it supports a narrative of ICE focusing on removing dangerous individuals from the community ^{[1] [2]}. On the other hand, ^[4] and ^[6] may benefit from highlighting the lower percentage of ICE detainees with violent crime convictions, as it suggests that ICE may be detaining a significant number of individuals with minor or no criminal convictions ^{[4] [6]}. The lack of clarity in the original statement may lead to misinformation or misinterpretation of the data, which could be exploited to support different agendas or policies ^{[3] [5] [8]}.