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Fact check: How many undocumented immigrants with criminal records are deported annually by ICE?
Executive Summary
Official statements and reporting show that ICE focuses a large share of arrests on people with criminal charges or convictions, but no single source in the provided dataset gives a definitive annual count of deportations of undocumented immigrants with criminal records. Public agency releases and reporting cite percentages and arrest totals, and the ICE FY2024 arrest total is available, but the specific annual deportation figure for those with criminal histories is not provided in the provided sources [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. What advocates and agencies are claiming — a sharp, attention-grabbing statistic
The primary claims in the supplied analyses emphasize enforcement priorities: multiple recent items report that around 70% of ICE arrests involve individuals charged or convicted of crimes, a figure repeated in September 2025 reporting to illustrate ICE’s focus on criminal removals [1]. ICE press statements in September 2025 also highlight arrests of individuals convicted of serious sexual offenses to underscore removal of violent offenders, reinforcing the messaging that resources prioritize public-safety cases [2]. These statements frame enforcement through a criminal-justice lens rather than offering a comprehensive deportation tally.
2. What the agency data actually provides — arrests and detention snapshots, not a clean deportation count
ICE and DHS reporting cited in the dataset include data visualizations of the detained population by criminal history and an ICE FY2024 Enforcement and Removal Operations total of 113,431 administrative arrests [3] [4]. These figures document arrests and detained-population breakdowns and are useful for assessing enforcement activity, but they do not directly translate into an annual count of final removals (deportations) of undocumented immigrants who have criminal records. Arrest totals can include repeated apprehensions, administrative arrests that do not result in removal, and categories not broken down by conviction status in the provided snippets.
3. Why the specific annual deportation number is elusive in these sources
The supplied sources reveal several structural reasons for the missing figure: ICE releases and news summaries often report percentages of arrested populations and selected case announcements rather than comprehensive removal-by-type tables [1] [2]. DHS historical summaries sometimes aggregate removals, returns, and voluntary departures, or combine criminal and non-criminal categories inconsistently [5]. The ICE FY reports publish large operational totals but may not publish a granular, single-year count of removals limited strictly to noncitizens with criminal convictions in the public excerpts provided [4]. These reporting choices leave a gap between enforcement activity and a clear deportation figure by criminal-history status.
4. How different figures and framings can be used in political storytelling
The materials show two common framings: one emphasizes share of arrests that are charged/convicted criminals (70%) to justify enforcement priorities [1], while agency press releases highlight high-profile arrests of violent offenders to demonstrate outcomes [2]. Another source mentions large historic removal or self-deportation estimates during a previous administration without linking convict status [5]. These varied framings serve distinct narratives: public-safety emphasis versus overall removal volume, and they can be selectively cited by advocates or officials to support competing policy positions.
5. What independent or comprehensive sources would fill the gap (and why they matter)
A definitive annual count would require cross-referencing ICE removal statistics with criminal-record classifications from DHS databases or federal court outcomes, plus careful treatment of administrative departures and multiple encounters. Publicly available ICE annual reports and DHS Yearbook of Immigration Statistics historically include removal totals and sometimes criminal offender breakdowns when tables are published, but the supplied snippets stop short of that full breakdown [4]. Accessing full ICE/DHS datasets or FOIA-released tables would be necessary to move from arrests to a precise annual deportation count of people with criminal convictions.
6. A cautious bottom line based on the supplied evidence
From the provided material, the defensible bottom line is this: ICE arrests and enforcement actions heavily target people with criminal charges or convictions, often reported as roughly 70% of arrests, and ICE reported 113,431 ERO administrative arrests in FY2024, but the dataset does not permit stating a precise annual number of deportations for undocumented immigrants with criminal records [1] [4]. Any precise numeric claim beyond those documented totals would require additional primary-source breakdowns not included in the supplied analyses.
7. Practical next steps for a precise answer and transparency checks
To obtain a verifiable annual deportation count of undocumented immigrants with criminal records, request or consult the full ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations tables, DHS Yearbook tables, and ICE detained-population visualizations that break down removals by conviction status; submit targeted FOIA requests if necessary. When using published totals, cross-check whether “removals” are voluntary returns, administrative departures, or formal deportations, and confirm whether criminal-history categories differentiate arrests, charges, convictions, or convictions for violent offenses [3] [4]. This chain of evidence is essential to move from enforcement claims to a reproducible deportation count.