Fact check: Does ICE only focus on detaining illegal immigrants

1. Summary of the results

ICE's activities extend far beyond just detaining illegal immigrants. The agency engages in multiple enforcement strategies, including workplace raids, using mapping apps for deportation targets, and expanding arrest goals ^[1]. In FY2019, ICE detained 510,854 individuals ^[2], and maintains a national docket of 662,000 individuals with various criminal charges ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several crucial pieces of context are missing from the original question:

• Detention Demographics: Most immigrant detainees have never been convicted of a crime or were convicted of minor offenses ^[2]. As of February 2025, non-criminal immigrants made up 14% of detainees, up from 6% earlier that month ^[4].
• Alternative Approaches: Experts recommend expanding alternatives to detention (ATDs), suggesting that detention should be reserved for "pressing public safety threats" ^[2].
• Evolving Priorities: While ICE claims to focus on serious criminals, including those charged with homicide, sexual assault, and trafficking ^[3], their actual arrest patterns show an increasing focus on non-criminal immigrants, with 28% of arrests in FY2024 targeting individuals with no criminal backgrounds ^[4].

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question oversimplifies ICE's role and operations in several ways:

• It suggests a binary approach (detention/no detention) when ICE actually employs multiple enforcement strategies ^[1]
• It overlooks the significant shift in ICE's priorities under different administrations, such as the expansion of enforcement activities during the Trump administration ^[1]
• It fails to acknowledge the ongoing debate about who should be detained and whether alternatives to detention might be more appropriate ^[2]

Those who benefit from portraying ICE as solely focused on detention might include:

• Private detention facility operators who profit from increased detention rates
• Politicians who campaign on strict immigration enforcement
• Law enforcement agencies seeking expanded budgets and authority