Fact Check: Is Kristi Noem's claim 70% of people arrested have committed violent crimes true?

WASHINGTON, DC: During the first year of President Donald Trump's second term, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intensified arrests of people committing violent crimes across the United States.

Recently, Kristi Noem, the DHS Secretary, claimed that every single individual arrested has committed a crime, "but 70% of them have committed or have charges against them on violent crimes." But is there any truth to her statement? Let us find out below.

Claim: Kristi Noem says 70% of arrested individuals committed violent crimes

Kristi Noem appeared on 'Face the Nation' on Sunday, January 18, and said, "Every single individual has committed a crime, but 70% of them have committed or have charges against them on violent crimes..." before she was interrupted by host Margaret Brennan, who said, "It's not 70%."

Noem said, "You guys keep changing your percentage. You pick and choose what numbers you think work. But that is the facts... And they need to be brought to justice. And we're going to keep doing that no matter how much you guys keep lying and don't tell the public the truth..."

Meanwhile, Brennan added, "Okay, well, our reporting is that 47%, based on your agency's own numbers, 47% have criminal convictions against them."

Noem said Brennan was 'wrong again', adding that the DHS. will "get you the correct numbers so you can have them in the future", as Brennan said, "Well, that's from your agency."

Fact Check: DHS data indicates 47% of ICE's detainees had criminal charges 

The internal DHS data, obtained by CBS News, indicates roughly 47% — or about 34,000 — of ICE's detainees had criminal charges or convictions in the US. 

However, the numbers do not include details on the severity of the criminal records, which can range from felonies to misdemeanors and immigration-related offenses.

The number of detainees in ICE custody has reached a new record high, surpassing 70,000 for the first time in the deportation agency's 23-year history, as per internal DHS data obtained by the outlet. 

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents guard outside Delaney Hall, a migrant detention facility, while anti-ICE activists demonstrate on June 12, 2025, in Newark, New Jersey (Stephanie Keith/Getty Images)

On Thursday, January 15, ICE was holding about 73,000 individuals facing deportation in its custody across the US, the highest level recorded by the agency and an 84% increase from the same time last year, when its detention population hovered below 40,000, per the data.

The Trump administration aims to detain upwards of 100,000 immigration detainees as part of its government-wide effort to carry out a deportation crackdown of unprecedented proportions.