Fact check: What percentage of ICE detainees are undocumented versus legal immigrants?

1. Summary of the results

The analyses reveal that none of the sources directly answer the specific question about the percentage breakdown between undocumented versus legal immigrants in ICE detention. However, the data provides important insights about the criminal backgrounds of ICE detainees:

• Nearly half (47%) of ICE detainees lack any criminal record, with about 30,000 people detained without criminal convictions ^{[1] [2]}
• 70.4% of ICE detainees have no criminal conviction according to TRAC data ^[3]
• Among deportations, only about 12% were convicted of violent or potentially violent crimes, while two-thirds had no criminal convictions ^[4]
• 90% of street arrests in June were Latino immigrants, with one in five ICE arrests being Latinos with no criminal past or removal orders ^[5]

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question assumes a clear distinction between "undocumented" and "legal immigrants" in ICE detention, but the analyses reveal several missing contextual elements:

• Legal immigrants can also be detained by ICE - the data shows that people without criminal records make up a significant portion of detainees, suggesting that immigration status violations alone can lead to detention regardless of legal entry ^{[1] [2]}
• The focus on criminal background rather than immigration status suggests that ICE's detention practices may prioritize enforcement actions beyond just undocumented presence ^{[3] [4]}
• Street arrest patterns indicate targeted enforcement against specific communities, with Latino immigrants comprising 90% of such arrests ^[5]
• Alternative viewpoints would benefit different stakeholders: Immigration advocacy organizations benefit from highlighting the detention of non-criminal immigrants to argue for policy reform, while enforcement agencies benefit from emphasizing public safety aspects of their operations

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question contains an implicit assumption that may be misleading:

• The binary framing of "undocumented versus legal immigrants" oversimplifies ICE detention practices, as the data shows that criminal background appears to be a more significant factor in the available statistics than immigration status alone ^{[1] [2] [3]}
• The question may perpetuate the misconception that only undocumented immigrants are subject to ICE detention, when legal immigrants can also face detention and removal proceedings under various circumstances
• The lack of available data on this specific breakdown in government sources ^[6] suggests that this particular metric may not be how ICE categorizes or reports on its detention population, potentially making the question itself based on a flawed premise