Fact check: What percentage of people taken by ice in 2025 were actual criminals

1. Summary of the results

The data reveals conflicting statistics about the percentage of people taken by ICE in 2025 who were actual criminals, with significant variations depending on the source and methodology used.

Key findings include:

• 28.9% criminal conviction rate: One source indicates that 71.1% of people held in ICE detention have no criminal conviction, meaning approximately 28.9% do have criminal records ^[1]
• 40% convicted criminals: Another analysis shows that 40% of ICE arrests from January 20 through late June 2025 were of convicted criminals, with only 7% convicted of violent crimes ^[2]
• 70% with criminal records: Contradicting other sources, data shows almost 70% of Canadians detained by ICE this year have a criminal record or pending criminal charges ^[3]
• 65% never convicted: A separate source reports that 65% of people caught up in ICE enforcement have never been convicted of any crime, with only 7% convicted of violent crimes ^[4]

Specific numbers include 752 non-citizens convicted of murder and 1,693 convicted of sexual assault arrested by ICE as of May 2025 ^[5].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks crucial context about how "actual criminals" is defined. The analyses reveal this term could mean:

• Those with any criminal conviction
• Those with pending criminal charges
• Those convicted specifically of violent crimes
• Those with serious felony convictions

Political stakeholders who benefit from different interpretations include:

• Immigration enforcement advocates who benefit from higher criminal percentages to justify expanded operations
• Immigration rights organizations like AILA who benefit from lower criminal percentages to challenge enforcement policies ^[4]
• The Trump Administration which characterizes those arrested as "the worst of the worst criminals" despite data showing most lack violent crime convictions ^[4]

Missing data includes:

• Total number of ICE arrests in 2025 for proper percentage calculations
• Breakdown by severity of criminal offenses
• Distinction between convictions and pending charges
• Regional variations in enforcement priorities

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question assumes there is a single, definitive percentage when the data shows significant methodological differences between sources. The term "actual criminals" is loaded language that could mislead by:

• Conflating different categories: Some sources count pending charges while others only count convictions ^{[3] [1]}
• Ignoring crime severity: The data shows most criminal convictions are for non-violent offenses, yet the question implies all "criminals" are equivalent ^{[4] [2]}
• Overlooking enforcement contradictions: The Administration's characterization of arrestees as "the worst of the worst criminals" is contradicted by data showing 65% have never been convicted of any crime ^[4]

The question also fails to acknowledge that ICE detention policies and enforcement priorities significantly impact these statistics, making any single percentage potentially misleading without proper context about how and why people are selected for enforcement actions.