WOW.dhs.gov (also reachable at dhs.gov/wow) is the Department of Homeland Security’s public “Worst of the Worst” database. It lists a selected subset of people DHS calls “criminal illegal aliens” who were arrested by ICE. The site is searchable by state, country of origin, and keywords, and each entry typically shows:
DHS describes it as highlighting some of the “worst” criminal cases ICE has arrested and removed, not a complete list of all ICE arrests.
In DHS materials, a “criminal illegal alien” does not have to be convicted. DHS repeatedly says that 70% of ICE arrests are of “criminal illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the United States.” That means the label is applied to non‑citizens DHS says are in the U.S. unlawfully and who have:
ICE and DHS oversight documents more broadly define “criminal aliens” as non‑citizens charged with or convicted of crimes, so criminal charges alone can place someone in this category.
Public DHS statements say only that the site will be updated “regularly” and “the Department will continue to update the page.” The December 8 launch announced 10,000 arrests at launch and the December 18 update added 5,000 more, but no fixed schedule (e.g., weekly, monthly) is given.
DHS also calls the entries “a small sample” of total arrests, which indicates that DHS/ICE staff are selectively curating cases to post rather than automatically uploading every arrest. DHS has not publicly identified which specific office or officials choose the names or detailed criteria for inclusion.
The “70%” figure comes from DHS/ICE itself. Multiple DHS press releases state that “70% of ICE arrests are of criminal illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S.” or similar wording, but they do not link to a public dataset, methodology, or formal statistical report.
Independent fact‑checking notes that DHS has only cited this as an internal statistic in press releases; the detailed underlying data (including how ICE classifies arrests as “criminal”) has not been published in a form the public can directly review. Any verification would require access to ICE internal arrest and case‑classification data that is not currently available in full.
The WOW.dhs.gov entries mix convictions and pending or alleged charges, and the site itself does not indicate appeal status or whether cases are fully resolved.
On the main WOW search page, some profiles are labeled “Convicted of:” offenses, while others are labeled “Arrested for:” listed crimes, showing that not all entries are verified, final convictions. Neither the WOW page nor the related DHS press releases provide:
Outside analyses of the database similarly note that many allegations are documented only by DHS press releases, not by court records, and that the site does not present legal status or appeal information.
DHS has not published a specific privacy or due‑process policy for WOW.dhs.gov beyond its general DHS.gov privacy policy. The WOW page and related press releases:
General DHS/ICE privacy and records‑management rules still apply, but there is no publicly identified, tailored safeguard regime for this public‑facing “Worst of the Worst” listing.
According to DHS’s own statements, the WOW site is part of a broader enforcement and messaging campaign directed by President Donald Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem.
DHS press releases repeatedly say that under “Secretary Noem’s leadership” and to fulfill President Trump’s promise of mass deportations, ICE is targeting and publicizing the “worst of the worst” and that the WOW site lets Americans see the criminal illegal aliens that the Trump Administration has removed from their communities. This indicates that Trump and Noem set the overall policy direction and political framing, while operational control of the website and case selection appears to be carried out within DHS/ICE.