§63 —
On the worst of the worst
Democrat
70.6 PERCENT
The beds. In July, TRAC counted 65,765 people in ICE detention; 46,436 of them, 70.6 percent, had no criminal conviction 1. A year earlier the AP's count was 71.7 percent 2. The population peaked at 68,289 in early February 3.
The people in them. NPR reported in April that 29 people had died in ICE custody since October, surpassing the previous record of 28, set in 2004 4; Human Rights Watch counted 52 deaths from January 20, 2025 through June 4, 2026 5. ProPublica documented more than 170 U.S. citizens held by immigration agents, nearly 20 of them children 6. The phrase is the worst of the worst. The count is seven in ten with no conviction at all.
Sources
- 46,436 of 65,765 in ICE detention (70.6 percent) with no criminal conviction — TRAC Immigration, 11 July 2026 ↑
- 41,495 of 57,861 detainees (71.7 percent) with no conviction — AP, 12 July 2025 ↑
- "At its recent high point in early February 2026, ICE held 68,289 people in detention" — TRAC, 10 April 2026 ↑
- "Twenty-nine people have died in ICE custody since October … surpassing 2004's toll of 28" — NPR, 17 April 2026 ↑
- 52 deaths in immigration detention from 20 January 2025 to 4 June 2026 — Human Rights Watch, 25 June 2026 ↑
- "More Than 170 U.S. Citizens Have Been Held by Immigration Agents," nearly 20 of them children — ProPublica, 16 October 2025 ↑
Republican
THE WORST OF THE WORST
The phrase is the administration's own, and it is repeated on purpose. The Associated Press reported the president's pledge to deport "the worst of the worst" 1. His press secretary, in February: "The Trump administration will continue our focus on deporting all illegal aliens present in our country, with a focus on the worst of the worst criminals" 2. The Homeland Security Department, on the anniversary of the inauguration: ICE was "unleashed" to "target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens" 3.
And there are real people behind the phrase. The same detention data that measures the whole population also counts about 19,000 people held in July who do have criminal convictions 4. Removing people convicted of crimes is a job every administration claims, and this one names it first. How much of the detention system that job fills is on the other side.
Sources
- Trump "has pledged to deport 'the worst of the worst'" — AP, 12 July 2025 ↑
- "With a focus on the worst of the worst criminals" — White House press secretary — Fox News, 12 February 2026 ↑
- "He unleashed ICE to target the worst of the worst criminal illegal aliens" — Department of Homeland Security, 20 January 2026 ↑
- 65,765 people in ICE detention, of whom 46,436 had no criminal conviction — TRAC Immigration, quick facts, 11 July 2026 ↑
“I read the phrase in three places. The press secretary: "a focus on the worst of the worst criminals." The department, on the anniversary: ICE "unleashed" on "the worst of the worst." Then I went to the clearinghouse that counts the detention population, just to meet a few of them. July: sixty-five thousand seven hundred sixty-five people in detention. Forty-six thousand four hundred thirty-six with no criminal conviction. Seventy point six percent. Excuse me — I'm going — one question. If the worst of the worst are thirty percent of the beds, who's in the other seventy?”— Lou
“"The worst of the worst." Beautiful phrase. It's on the podium, it's in the press releases, it's the first thing out of the briefing room. Then the research clearinghouse that counts detention looks at who's actually in the beds: seventy point six percent with no criminal conviction. That's not the worst of the worst. That's the most of the most. And more than a hundred seventy of the people they've held were American citizens.”
“A person without a conviction is simply a person who hasn't been convicted yet, and the administration is being proactive, which is the worst of the worst thing you can say about an administration that is doing its job.”