Fox News' Martha MacCallum claims only “dangerous criminals” are part of Trump's initial deportations. She's wrong.

Written by Helena Hind

Published

As Trump’s mass deportation raids ramp up, Fox News falsely claimed that Immigration and Customs Enforcement is initially targeting only violent undocumented immigrants for deportation, despite evidence to the contrary.

During the January 28 edition of The Story with Martha MacCallum, guest David Carlucci pointed out that a large portion of people arrested by ICE “are not dangerous criminals; they're just undocumented,” to which host Martha MacCallum interrupted, “That's not what we understood. This is the worst-first policy,” mentioning “child abusers” and “sex abusers.”

According to government data reviewed by NBC, nearly half of the 1,179 people ICE arrested and detained on January 26 “appear to be nonviolent offenders or people who have not committed any criminal offense other than crossing the border illegally.”

Data first obtained by NBC News shows that Immigration and Customs Enforcement arrested a total of 1,179 people on Sunday, which is more than the 956 arrests that the agency posted on X on Sunday night. But just 613 of those total arrests — nearly 52% — were considered “criminal arrests.” The rest appear to be nonviolent offenders or people who have not committed any criminal offense other than crossing the border illegally.

When breaking down those arrests, eight were considered "Worst Criminals Arrested," including two gang members, according to the official.

Still, at least 566 people arrested Sunday had not committed any crimes and were only detained because they lacked legal authorization to remain in the United States.

Here's the Fox News segment:

From the January 28, 2025, edition of Fox News' The Story with Martha MacCallum

MARTHA MACCALLUM (ANCHOR): David Carlucci, I remember Alejandro Mayorkas testifying with a straight face to Congress that the border was not open, so I don't know how all these criminals got in here, but they are here and now they're being removed. Why did we never see the Homeland Security secretary participating in the removal of criminals and people who worked for the cartels?

DAVID CARLUCCI (GUEST): Well, a very simple reason, and many law enforcement officers are out there publicly saying that this is reckless to identify and announce when you're doing these raids and where for a few reasons, but most importantly it gives notice and the most dangerous among them will flee. And when you look at these arrests --

MACCALLUM: So that's why Alejandro Mayorkas never participated because he didn't want to give anyone a heads -- I mean, these people, these people, they didn't get a heads up.

CARLUCCI: No, he was participating, but it's not about just large numbers. It's about an actual policy, and when you look at the people that have been picked up -- thank goodness we're getting the most dangerous criminals out of here, but over half of them are not dangerous criminals; they're just undocumented. And yes, they should --

MACCALLUM: No, that's not -- that's not what we understood. This is the worst-first policy. I mean, we have put up on the board, you know, examples of the kind of people that are being taken out. Child abusers, sex abusers --

CARLUCCI: But that's not all of them.

MACCALLUM: -- and these are people who were already indicated as much.

[CROSSTALK]

MCCALLUM: They were already indicated that way under the Biden administration and they were not removed, David.

CARLUCCI: No. We had more deportations under Biden than we did in the first term of Donald Trump. And yes, did we do a good job publicizing it? No, but that's not the idea. It's not about a headline — it's about a policy.