Vast Majority Of Illegals Arrested By ICE Have Criminal Records

Despite mainstream narratives, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is largely targeting illegals who have pending criminal charges or convictions in the United States — in addition to the crime of being in the U.S. illegally.

Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said last month that the Department of Homeland Security law enforcement had arrested more than 600,000 illegals, 70% of whom had been charged or convicted of a crime in the United States.

Additionally, as stressed by McLaughlin, that statistic pertains to charges or convictions only in the U.S., not other nations. Meaning, the percentage of criminals being targeted is likely even higher.

“DHS is targeting the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens — including murderers, rapists, gang members, pedophiles, and terrorists,” McLaughlin said in a statement published in November. “[Seventy percent] of illegal aliens ICE arrested across the country have criminal convictions or pending criminal charges just in the U.S.”

“This statistic doesn’t account for those wanted for violent crimes in their home country or another country, INTERPOL notices, human rights abusers, gang members, terrorists, etc.,” the assistant secretary explained. “The list goes on.”

McLaughlin said that the U.S. is a “nation of laws,” and DHS is “committed to enforcing those laws, all of which are just.”

This past week, a law enforcement agent went viral for addressing protesters and members of the media while agents were on duty. In this particular case, the agent said authorities were picking up a child sex offender, underscoring the absurdity of the protesters.

“We’re here to arrest a child sex offender, and you guys are out here honking,” the agent says in the now-viral video. “That vehicle has been honking and impeding our investigation while we’re trying to arrest a child sex offender. That’s who you guys are protecting. Insane.”

God bless the men & women of @ICEgov @CBP who risk their lives to arrest these criminals. pic.twitter.com/eDJQLCrjZh

— Tricia McLaughlin (@TriciaOhio) January 18, 2026

Moreover, DHS reports a massive 1,300% jump in assaults against ICE agents.

Still, coordinated obstruction, protests, and riots against ICE agents have raged in liberal cities across the nation, most notably in Minneapolis. Liberal politicians and their counterparts in the legacy media have only emboldened such behavior, too, by dehumanizing ICE agents and ignoring or even supporting violence and obstruction efforts from anti-ICE activists.

Related: How Ugly Images On TV Shape Immigration Politics