United States politics
The recordFiled October 16, 2026Checked October 16, 2026
Are 70% of ICE detainees criminals, or have 70% no record?
DHS says about 70% of detainees are criminals if you count pending charges. Deportation Data Project analysis says about 70% have no criminal record. A Fox poll finds 53% say the crackdown has gone too far.
FP verdict
The numbers are real. The conclusion isn't.
Confidence score: 4/10 — Two opposite 70% figures can both be technically true. DHS counts unproven charges as 'criminal.' The DHS figure was read only through Al Jazeera.
Sourced from Al Jazeera, the numbers are real and the conclusion isn't.
“Approximately 70 percent of its immigration detainees are criminals, if pending charges are factored in.”
DHS's figure counts people with pending charges, who are presumed innocent, as criminals. Deportation Data Project analysis of government data, as reported by Al Jazeera, finds about 70% of people in ICE detention have no criminal record. Meanwhile, Fox News' own September poll found 53% of registered voters, including 60% of independents, say enforcement has gone too far.
Left
Lean left · Left-leaning US report
Al Jazeera
ICE tactics spark debate before pivotal US midterm elections
October 15, 2026
some 70 percent of those held in ICE detention have no criminal record
Right
Right · Right-leaning US report
Fox News
Poll finds 53% say Trump immigration enforcement has gone too far
September 17, 2026
A 53% majority of registered voters say the Trump administration’s enforcement of immigration laws has gone too far
How the coverage differs
We haven't compared these two articles yet.
Shows its work
How this rating was reached
- Lie
- False
- Misleading
- Mostly false
- Half true
- Mostly true
- True
- Unproven
01
The claim
DHS says about 70% of detainees are criminals, counting pending charges.
02
The counter-figure
The Deportation Data Project finds about 70% of people in ICE detention have no criminal record.
03
The poll
Fox News, Sept. 11–14, 2026, 1,211 registered voters, ±3: 53% say too far, 23% not far enough, 23% about right. Independents 60% too far.
04
Republican dissent
Salazar's ad says some enforcement has gone too far and cites arrests of people with no record.
05
Why Misleading
Lumping pending charges in with convictions inflates 'criminal' to match the 'worst of the worst' pitch. The number may be accurate under DHS's definition, but it creates a false impression.
06
The buried fact
Fox's poll shows Republicans aren't split the way the headlines suggest. Only 40% of Republicans say enforcement has not gone far enough, 43% say it's about right, and too few said 'too far' to report. The split is between the GOP base and independents (60% too far), not inside the party. Among voters who say it's gone too far, 49% say the wrong people are being targeted. That's the 70% fight in another form.
07
What each side gets right, and hides
Critics are right that most detainees have no conviction. They downplay that most Republicans still back the policy. DHS is right that some detainees face serious charges. It hides that 'criminal' includes the merely accused.
Reporting only: no specific source link.
08
The question to ask
When both sides wave '70%,' ask what's in the denominator. And if most detainees have never been convicted of anything, who exactly is 'the worst of the worst'?
Reporting only: no specific source link.
Caveats and limits
Not verified
- We didn't review the DHS 70% statement or the Deportation Data Project dataset directly; both come via Al Jazeera. This is the biggest sourcing limitation in this story.
- Salazar's ad was not viewed. The quote is via Al Jazeera.
- Open question: How many of the 'pending charges' are immigration-only or traffic offenses?
- Open question: Is the 70%-no-record figure measured at the same date and on the same population as DHS's figure?
Caveats
- Al Jazeera says two-thirds of Hispanic respondents said 'gone too far.' Fox's own release says 60%; two-thirds disapprove of Trump on immigration. This draft uses Fox's figure.
- Pending charges can include nonviolent and immigration-related offenses. A breakdown was not available.
Where the coverage splits
Contradictions
Places the two reports pull apart from each other, or from the record they both cite. A difference in emphasis is labeled as emphasis.
Each side's framing
Left coverage
Rep. María Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) ad, Sept. 2026 (via Al Jazeera): "Mr President, some of your immigration enforcement efforts have gone too far."
Right coverage
DHS statement (via Al Jazeera): Trump "unleashed ICE to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens, including pedophiles, murderers, gang members, terrorists, and rapists." Texas Republican Jeremy Price: "A mess was created, and now cleaning it up is dirty business."
The record
Fox's poll shows Republicans aren't split the way the headlines suggest. Only 40% of Republicans say enforcement has not gone far enough, 43% say it's about right, and too few said 'too far' to report. The split is between the GOP base and independents (60% too far), not inside the party. Among voters who say it's gone too far, 49% say the wrong people are being targeted. That's the 70% fight in another form.
Sources
Secondary reporting
ICE tactics spark debate before pivotal US midterm electionsAl Jazeera · October 15, 2026
Primary · official record
Poll finds 53% say Trump immigration enforcement has gone too farFox News · September 17, 2026
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