“Criminal illegal alien” is ICE/DHS shorthand for a non‑citizen who is removable and who, in ICE’s records, has either a U.S. criminal conviction or pending criminal charges; ICE classifies arrests into categories (U.S. convictions, pending charges, or other immigration violators) and prioritizes enforcement against those with criminal histories via its Criminal Alien Program (CAP).
wow.dhs.gov is DHS’s public “Arrested: Worst of the Worst” site that republishes ICE/DHS news about high‑profile arrests; it publishes names, country of origin, alleged convictions/charges, arrest locations and often mug/headshot photos and case summaries for individuals DHS calls “worst of the worst.”
After an ICE interior arrest of a person with prior convictions, the main next steps are: ICE processing and possible administrative detention; an immigration case in immigration court (removal proceedings) that can lead to a final order of removal; and, where applicable, criminal prosecution or referral to U.S. attorneys (if new federal criminal charges apply). Some detainees are released under Alternatives to Detention depending on custody determinations.
ICE coordinates with local law enforcement via information sharing, jail/Detainer processes (detainers, 287(g) or task force agreements), and joint task forces; it coordinates with U.S. Attorney offices when federal criminal charges are appropriate and with EOIR (immigration courts) for removal proceedings. Coordination is handled through formal programs (CAP, task forces, 287(g)) and joint investigations.
DHS/ICE press releases often state “70%” meaning ‘‘70% of ICE arrests are of illegal aliens charged or convicted of a crime in the U.S.’’ — but that headline figure is misleading without a defined time frame. ICE’s public data show the share depends on the snapshot or period: point‑in‑time detention snapshots in early Jan. 2026 showed roughly 50–52% of detainees had convictions or pending charges, while analyses of all arrests/detentions over specified multi‑month periods (e.g., Jan. 20–Oct. 15, 2025) produced higher shares (~64–66%). The underlying data source is ICE’s ERO arrest/detention dashboards and datasets (and third‑party analyses like the Deportation Data Project).
Yes. Immigration violations (civil/removal) are administrative matters handled by ICE and immigration courts; criminal offenses can trigger separate criminal arrests, prosecution in state or federal courts, imprisonment, and additional immigration consequences. ICE may take custody after criminal sentences end or use criminal warrants when authorized. The two tracks (criminal vs. civil immigration) can run sequentially or in parallel.
Members of the public can verify convictions/records by checking: (1) ICE’s ERO statistics and the wow.dhs.gov entry for names/photos; (2) public state or federal court records (county/state court websites or PACER for federal cases); and (3) third‑party databases that republish court dockets (but primary verification is court dockets). If a press release cites a jurisdiction, search that county’s court docket or PACER for the person’s name and case number.