While the Trump administration tries to clamp down on unvetted illegal immigrants who flooded the country under President Joe Biden, federal agencies have been relentlessly attacked by leftist lawmakers, activist judges, anti-ICE protestors, and legacy media outlets.
The Department of Homeland Security is striking back against a recent CNN headline that says, “Less than 10% of immigrants taken into ICE custody since October had serious criminal convictions, internal data shows.”
The subscriber-only story reported that “more than 75% of people booked into custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in fiscal year 2025 had no criminal conviction other than an immigration or traffic-related offense,” according to ICE records from October through the end of May.
“Less than 10% of the roughly 185,000 people booked into Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody from October 1, 2024, through May 31, 2025, have been convicted of serious crimes like murder, rape, assault or robbery,” CNN reported.
But statistics are a tricky thing. Many of the millions of illegal immigrants discarded their IDs on the ground before walking across the border, making it difficult if not impossible to vet their background or identity.
The department responded in a post on X, writing “FAKE NEWS. Secretary Noem has unleashed @ICEgov to target the worst of the worst—including gang members, murderers, and rapists. In President Trump’s first 100 days, 75% of ICE arrests were criminal illegal aliens with convictions or pending charges.”
FAKE NEWS. Secretary Noem has unleashed @ICEgov to target the worst of the worst—including gang members, murderers, and rapists.
In President Trump’s first 100 days, 75% of ICE arrests were criminal illegal aliens with convictions or pending charges. pic.twitter.com/spt84Tm8dk
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) June 16, 2025
In another headline by the Los Angeles Times, “Fears of racial profiling rise as Border Patrol conducts ‘roving patrols,’ detains U.S. citizens,” DHS also hit back with this response on X:
“Any claims that individuals have been ‘targeted’ by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically FALSE. These types of smears are designed to demonize and villainize our brave ICE law enforcement.
Any claims that individuals have been ‘targeted’ by law enforcement because of their skin color are disgusting and categorically FALSE.
These types of smears are designed to demonize and villainize our brave ICE law enforcement.
DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted,… pic.twitter.com/sTUe9Nw3XT
— Homeland Security (@DHSgov) June 16, 2025
DHS enforcement operations are highly targeted, and officers do their due diligence. We know who we are targeting ahead of time. If and when we do encounter individuals subject to arrest, our law enforcement is trained to ask a series of well-determined questions to determine status and removability.
We will follow the President’s direction and continue to work to get the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens off of America’s streets.”
ICE regularly posts updates of detainees with criminal records on its X account as well as ICE’s newsroom. A month ago, ICE issued a press release debunking recent fake news narratives about ICE operations, adding that misleading news narratives and reporting have demonized federal agents who bravely serve the country.
“Attacks and smears against ICE have resulted in officers facing a 413% increase in assaults,” said Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin in the release. “We are setting the facts straight and reassuring America that President Trump and Secretary Noem will continue to support ICE and CBP in their efforts to make America safe again.”
During a June 12 news conference, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said there may be collateral arrests, adding on X: “My job is not to pick and choose which laws we enforce and which ones we don’t.”
“My job is not to pick and choose which laws we enforce and which ones we don’t,” said Secretary Kristi Noem at today’s press conference. pic.twitter.com/mnS4ny9DTx
— U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (@ICEgov) June 12, 2025
Facing increased pressure from Trump officials to increase deportations, ICE has expanded enforcement efforts at courthouses, during traffic stops and at places of employment. But closing the border and rolling out mass deportations is what Trump campaigned on.
And Trump doesn’t appear to be backing down, issuing a new directive on Sunday for ICE to “expand efforts” in Democratic-led cities, where illegal immigrants receive a multitude of taxpayer-funded services and avoid arrest due to their sanctuary policies.
Recent polls show Trump’s approval rating is slipping, particularly on immigration, and the polarizing issue is driving a deeper wedge between Republicans and Democrats.
This is despite the fact that support among Hispanic voters, young people and Americans without college degrees helped him win a second term.
And new data—coincidentally analyzed by CNN—shows that foreign-born U.S. citizens favor the Republican Party on immigration policy over Democrats. According to CNN chief data analyst Harry Enten, legal immigrant voters have moved 40 points in favor of Republicans on immigration.
“Foreign-born voters have gone tremendously to the Right on this issue in 2024 and 2025 versus where they were in 2020,” Enten said.
With Elon Musk out of Washington, D.C., Telsa protests are old news. Organized protestors have turned their focus to attacking ICE agents and doing whatever they can to thwart immigration raids.
Biased headlines from legacy media also stoke the flames and push a narrative that ICE agents are “kidnapping,” disappearing,” and “wrongly deporting” people.
ICE has stepped up sweeps in recent weeks on industries that rely on immigrant workers. That includes a local construction company in Exeter, Pennsylvania; construction sites in Brownsville, Texas, and Tallahassee, Fla.; and a flood control project in New Orleans. ICE arrested about 40 people in Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, two prominent vacation spots in Massachusetts, last month.
A recent immigration raid at a meatpacking plant in Nebraska, which also drew protestors, was prompted by an audit that found workers were using stolen social security numbers and fraudulent documents, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
“Worksite enforcement remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safeguard public safety, national security and economic stability,” McLaughlin said in a statement Tuesday. “These operations target illegal employment networks that undermine American workers, destabilize labor markets and expose critical infrastructure to exploitation.”
