Fact check: How many illegal immigrants that ICE has arrested have a criminal record

1. Summary of the results

The exact percentage of arrested immigrants with criminal records varies significantly between sources and time periods. According to recent data, approximately 56% of immigrants in ICE detention facilities have some form of criminal record ^[1]. However, during specific periods like the early Trump administration, this number was reported to be as high as 75% of arrests ^[2].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual points need to be considered:

• ICE uses sophisticated tracking technology, including an app monitoring over 700,000 individuals, to identify immigrants with criminal convictions ^[3]
• The agency explicitly prioritizes enforcement actions based on:
• National security threats
• Public safety risks
• Immigration law violations ^[4]
• During the first 50 days of the Trump administration, of 32,809 enforcement arrests:
• 1,155 were criminal gang members
• 39 were known or suspected terrorists ^[2]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The question itself may be misleading for several reasons:

• It assumes a simple binary between "criminal" and "non-criminal" immigrants, when the reality is more complex. ICE makes custody determinations based on various factors, not just criminal history ^[4]
• Different administrations and time periods show different enforcement priorities and statistics, making any single number potentially misleading
• Various stakeholders benefit from different narratives:
• Law enforcement agencies benefit from highlighting higher percentages of criminal arrests to justify resources and operations
• Immigration advocacy groups benefit from emphasizing the percentage of non-criminal detainees
• Politicians on both sides can use these statistics to support their preferred immigration policies