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Trump Accused Of Lying About What?

President Trump has stated that his administration will deport “millions and millions” of undocumented immigrants with criminal records, but such figures are not supported by the data. Less than 1% of immigrants deported in the last fiscal year were removed for crimes other than immigration violations. Over the past four decades, federal officials have recorded approximately 425,000 noncitizens with criminal convictions on ICE’s “non-detained docket.” Among these, about 13,100 are individuals convicted of homicides who remain imprisoned in the U.S. and will face deportation hearings after completing their sentences.

To reach the millions of deportations Trump refers to, all undocumented immigrants would need to be classified as criminals, but being in the U.S. without proper authorization is a civil violation, not a criminal offense. This group would include workers in agriculture, construction, and service industries, as well as students and others without any criminal background. Legal experts and a review of federal immigration data indicate that unauthorized immigrants caught near the border can be quickly removed, but those convicted or charged with crimes must go through deportation hearings only after the U.S. criminal justice system has concluded their cases.

During his inauguration speech, Trump repeated his claim that the U.S. is overwhelmed by undocumented immigrants with criminal records and stated that he would immediately halt illegal entry and deport millions of “criminal aliens.” His team has reiterated this narrative, emphasizing that the plan would prioritize deporting dangerous criminals—a strategy that federal agencies have followed since the Clinton administration.

However, a reality check shows that less than 0.5% of the 1.8 million immigration court cases in the last fiscal year involved deportation orders for crimes beyond illegal entry. Over the past six years, less than 1% of at-large arrests by ICE involved immigrants accused of homicide. The most common charges among nearly 180,000 ICE at-large arrests between 2017 and 2023 were driving under the influence and drug-related offenses (15% each), followed by assaults and traffic violations (9% each). Homicides accounted for just 0.7% of these arrests.

Experts such as Nicole Hallett from the University of Chicago and Karen Tumlin from the Justice Action Center argue that the numbers don’t support Trump’s claims. They believe Trump may broadly label all undocumented immigrants as “criminals” to justify his statements about millions of deportations.

Efforts to deport immigrants with actual criminal records may also face challenges from state and local prosecutors, who prioritize ensuring justice for victims. Prosecutors are unlikely to allow immigrants convicted of serious crimes to be deported immediately to avoid serving prison sentences. Once their sentences are served, convicted immigrants typically wait in ICE detention for deportation hearings, following the same procedures as others in the immigration system. There is no expedited process for those with serious convictions. In rare cases, undocumented immigrants convicted of nonviolent offenses may be released while awaiting hearings.


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