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Fact check: What percentage of people were taken from Pennsylvania by ice that are not criminals in 2025
1. Summary of the results
Based on the analyses provided, no specific data exists regarding the percentage of people taken from Pennsylvania by ICE who are not criminals in 2025. The sources consistently indicate that this precise statistic is not publicly available or tracked in the manner requested.
However, the analyses reveal several relevant findings:
- ICE has made slow progress in arresting the "worst of the worst" and deportation numbers are not regularly released to the public [1]
- The majority of recent ICE detentions involve people with no convictions, with arrests of people not convicted of any crime nearly tripling [2]
- ICE flights are increasing significantly, though tracking these operations has become more difficult [3]
- One documented operation in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania resulted in 17 arrests for immigration violations, though the criminal status of these individuals was not specified [4]
2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints
The original question assumes that comprehensive, state-specific data on criminal versus non-criminal ICE arrests is readily available and tracked by jurisdiction. The analyses reveal this assumption is fundamentally flawed - such granular data is not systematically collected or released.
Missing context includes:
- ICE operations are federal in nature and data is typically aggregated nationally rather than by individual states [5]
- Transparency in ICE operations has decreased, making it harder to track specific metrics like flight numbers and arrest details [3]
- The definition of "criminal" in immigration enforcement can vary significantly - some individuals may have immigration violations as their only offense
- Political motivations exist on both sides: immigration advocacy groups benefit from highlighting non-criminal arrests to demonstrate enforcement overreach, while enforcement agencies benefit from emphasizing criminal arrests to justify operations
3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement
The question contains several problematic assumptions:
- Assumes data availability: The question presupposes that Pennsylvania-specific percentages of criminal versus non-criminal ICE arrests are tracked and publicly available, when the analyses show this data is not systematically collected or released [1] [5]
- Implies systematic tracking: The phrasing suggests there is comprehensive monitoring of ICE operations by criminal status at the state level, which contradicts the evidence that such operations are increasingly difficult to track [3]
- Loaded framing: The question structure implies that taking "non-criminals" represents problematic enforcement, potentially reflecting advocacy talking points rather than neutral inquiry
The question appears to seek ammunition for a predetermined narrative rather than genuine fact-finding, as evidenced by its specificity regarding a statistic that does not exist in public records.