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Photos by Saul Loeb/ AFP via Getty Images and Al Drago/Getty Images.
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Immigration Arrests and Transparency
For several months, Trump administration officials have been saying that 70% of the immigrants arrested or detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement are criminals, often saying they committed “violent crimes” and that the administration targets the “worst of the worst.”
We first looked into this months ago, but it was a tough claim to check, because the Department of Homeland Security hasn't provided adequate data to back it up. But this week, Deputy Director Rob Farley used ICE arrest data obtained by the Deportation Data Project through Freedom of Information Act requests and lawsuits. Rob's analysis of that data found a doubling over time of the percentage of arrests of immigrants without criminal records, meaning neither convictions nor pending charges. (The administration counts those with charges as "criminals.")
In President Donald Trump’s first three months in office, 21.9% of those arrested had no criminal record. The percentage rose to 34.2% in Trump’s second three months, and then to 40.5% in the three months ending in mid-October.
The percentage of those arrested by ICE who have criminal convictions — not merely pending charges — fell from 44.7% in Trump’s first three months to 31.8% in the three months ending in mid-October.
The publicly available ICE data on detentions also show that over time, a higher percentage of those being detained have no criminal convictions or pending charges.
DHS hasn't provided evidence that most of those without charges in the U.S. have convictions or pending charges in their home country, as the administration claims.
In a second story this week, we examined some statements administration officials made within hours of the Jan. 24 fatal shooting of Alex Pretti by federal immigration officers in Minneapolis. Multiple analyses of bystander videos of the killing contradicted and raised questions about the administration’s account that Pretti “approached” officers with a handgun, “violently resisted” an attempt to “disarm” him, and “wanted to do maximum damage and massacre law enforcement.”
We'd caution that it's early in the investigation, but the videos so far do not show Pretti holding the gun or threatening law enforcement officials with it.
Read the full stories: "As ICE Arrests Increased, a Higher Portion Had No U.S. Criminal Record" and "Video Analyses at Odds with DHS Statements on Minneapolis Shooting."
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Following recent remarks from President Donald Trump about how he takes a “large” dose of daily aspirin to protect his heart, we looked at joint guidelines from the American College of Cardiology and American Heart Association as well the latest from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force to explain what doctors recommend. We also consulted three experts. Trump's comments could perpetuate a common misperception. Read more: “Trump’s Aspirin Use and Doctors’ Recommendations.”
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There are 16 U.S. states that have enacted a law prohibiting concealed or open carry of firearms at demonstrations, protests or licensed public gatherings, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Minnesota is not one of those states. Under Minnesota law, a permit is required to carry a gun in public, and the gun doesn’t need to be concealed, according to the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Read more: "Patel’s Remarks Conflict With Minnesota Gun Law."
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Wrapping Up
Y lo que publicamos en español (English versions are accessible in each story):
- A medida que aumentaron los arrestos de ICE, creció también la proporción de detenidos sin antecedentes penales en EE. UU.
Si bien la administración Trump insiste en que su objetivo es apuntar a “lo peor de lo peor” con su policía migratoria, no ha proporcionado información que lo corrobore, y los datos disponibles sugieren que esa afirmación se ha vuelto cada vez menos precisa.
- Declaraciones de Patel discrepan con la ley de armas de Minnesota
Minnesota permite a las personas con permiso portar un arma en público, oculta o no, y no existe ninguna ley estatal que prohíba tener un arma durante una manifestación. Eso contradice la afirmación del director del FBI, Kash Patel, que sugiere que “uno no puede llevar” un arma de fuego cargada “a ningún tipo de protesta” en el estado.
- Análisis de videos contradicen declaraciones del DHS sobre el tiroteo en Minneapolis
El Departamento de Seguridad Nacional (DHS, por sus siglas en inglés) no ha proporcionado pruebas para algunas declaraciones que funcionarios de la administración hicieron pocas horas después del tiroteo fatal de Alex Pretti por parte de oficiales federales de inmigración, el 24 de enero en Minneapolis, y algunas de esas declaraciones parecen ser contradichas por los videos de testigos que han sido compartidos públicamente hasta ahora.
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