Is the federal government actually deporting the ‘worst of the worst?’ : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4500x2531+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F56%2Fb0%2F461812d5434598da11ab25f1e624%2F2026-02-dhs-tweets-final.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/4500x2531+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F56%2Fb0%2F461812d5434598da11ab25f1e624%2F2026-02-dhs-tweets-final.jpg" class="img" alt="A collage which includes screenshots of posts from The White House and Department of Homeland Security with immigration-related arrest information including "the worst of the worst," facts about the person and alleged crimes they committed. There is a large stamp that says "arrested" and the DHS logo. There are also photos of people with black bars over their eyes and a photo of ICE agents. The whole image is a dark red with shades of white and black." fetchpriority="high"/>

Getty Photographs, Dept. of Homeland Safety and The White Home by way of X/Collage by Emily Bogle/NPR Two days after At Chandee, who goes by Ricky, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the White Home's X account posted about him, calling the 52-year-old the "WORST OF WORST" and a "CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIEN."

Besides that the picture the White Home posted was of a special particular person. The submit additionally incorrectly claimed Chandee had a number of felony convictions — he has one, for second-degree assault in 1993 when he was 18 years outdated. He shot two individuals within the legs and served three years in jail.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/809x873+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F53%2Faf%2Fa09c05464bb586e82b1e8a9d900d%2Fricky-chandee.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/809x873+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F53%2Faf%2Fa09c05464bb586e82b1e8a9d900d%2Fricky-chandee.jpg" class="img" alt="At "Ricky" Chandee with his wife, Tina Huynh-Chandee." loading="lazy"/> At "Ricky" Chandee together with his spouse, Tina Huynh-Chandee. Through the Chandee household cover caption

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Through the Chandee household Chandee, who got here to the U.S. as a toddler refugee, was ordered to be deported again to his house nation, Laos. However Laos had not been accepting all the individuals the U.S. needed it to, so the federal authorities decided that it was possible infeasible to deport him, his lawyer Linus Chan advised NPR. Chandee subsequently was granted permission to remain within the U.S. and work as long as he checked in with immigration authorities periodically. He has not missed a check-in in over 30 years and has not had one other felony incident.

Individuals who know Chandee don't see him as "worst of the worst."

After Chandee accomplished his jail sentence, he completed college and have become an engineering technician. He labored for the Metropolis of Minneapolis for 26 years, grew to become a father, and his son grew as much as be a part of the navy.

In his free time, Chandee enjoys mountain climbing and foraging for mushrooms, Minnesota Public Radio reported.

"We're proud to work alongside At 'Ricky' Chandee," stated Tim Sexton, Director of Public Works for the Metropolis of Minneapolis in a press release. "I do not perceive why he could be a goal for removing now, why he was brutally detained and swiftly flown to Texas, or how his removing advantages our metropolis or nation." Chandee is petitioning for his launch in federal courtroom.

Chandee's case will not be distinctive Social media accounts from the White Home, the Division of Homeland Safety and different immigration companies have spent a lot of the previous 12 months posting about individuals detained within the administration's immigration crackdown, usually portraying them as hardened, violent criminals. That is at the same time as over 70% of the individuals detained do not have felony data in line with ICE information.

NPR's analysis of instances in Minnesota exhibits that whereas most of the individuals who have been highlighted on social media do have latest, severe felony data, a few quarter are like Chandee, with decades-old convictions, minor offenses or solely pending felony proceedings. Students of immigration, media and felony legislation say such a media marketing campaign is unprecedented and paints a distorted image of immigrants and crime.

A 12 months into President Trump's second time period, the X accounts of DHS and ICE have posted about greater than 2,000 individuals who had been targets of mass deportation efforts. Beginning late final March, DHS and ICE started posting on X on a close to every day foundation, typically highlighting apprehensions of a number of individuals a day, an NPR assessment of presidency social media posts present.

Among the many 2,000 individuals highlighted by the companies, NPR recognized 130 who had been arrested by federal brokers in Minnesota and tried to confirm the federal government's statements about their felony histories.

In a lot of the social media posts, the federal government didn't present the state the place the conviction occurred or the particular person's age. Public courtroom data don't have a tendency to incorporate photographs so definitive identification is usually a problem.

NPR derived its findings from instances the place it was capable of find a reputation and matching felony historical past within the Minnesota courtroom and detention system, in nationwide felony historical past databases, intercourse offender databases, and in some instances, federal courts and different state courts.

In 19 of the 130 instances, roughly 1-in-7, public data present the newest convictions had been a minimum of 20 years in the past.

Seventeen of the 19 instances with outdated convictions did embody violent crimes like murder and first-degree sexual assault. ICE supplied a few of these names to Fox Information as key examples of the company's accomplishments. "It is probably the most disturbing listing I've ever seen," stated Fox Information reporter Invoice Melugin on X, highlighting the felony convictions of every particular person on the listing.

For seven individuals, their solely felony historical past concerned driving beneath the affect or disorderly conduct.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5809x3873+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2b%2Ff9%2F1e106680420592621b427f8a0c76%2Fgettyimages-2256086780.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5809x3873+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2b%2Ff9%2F1e106680420592621b427f8a0c76%2Fgettyimages-2256086780.jpg" class="img" alt="ICE agents approach a house before detaining two people in Minneapolis on Jan. 13." loading="lazy"/> ICE brokers method a home earlier than detaining two individuals in Minneapolis on Jan. 13. Stephen Maturen/Getty Photographs cover caption

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Stephen Maturen/Getty Photographs Six of the 130 Minnesota instances highlighted by the administration concerned individuals with no felony convictions. The federal government's social media posts for these six as a substitute depend upon the fees and arrests as proof of their criminality, though arrests do not all the time result in fees and fees may be dismissed.

In yet one more case, the federal government highlighted a felony cost even whereas noting it had been dismissed. (The particular person did produce other present convictions.)

For 37 of the 130 individuals, NPR was unable to verify matching felony historical past after consulting the databases and information protection. Among the names turned up no felony historical past in any respect. The federal government stated these individuals dedicated crimes starting from murder and assault to drug trafficking, and cited one by identify to Fox Information. NPR tried to succeed in out to all 37 individuals and their households for remark however didn't obtain a response from any.

In a press release to NPR, DHS's chief spokesperson Lauren Bis didn't dispute NPR's findings or present documentation the place NPR wasn't capable of verify matching felony historical past.

"The truth that NPR is defending murderers and pedophiles is gross," Bis wrote. "We hear far an excessive amount of about criminals and never sufficient about their victims." earlier than itemizing 4 of the individuals with outdated convictions of murder and sexual assault, underlining the date of deportation order for 3 of them.

Photographs designed to set off emotion The stream of social media posts with photographs of largely nonwhite persons are meant to attract an emotional response, says Leo Chavez, an emeritus professor of anthropology on the College of California, Irvine. They "have been used repeatedly time and again to get individuals to purchase into, actually drastic, drastic and draconian actions and insurance policies," he stated.

Chavez, whose most up-to-date ebook is The Latino Risk: How Alarmist Rhetoric Misrepresents Immigrants, Residents, and the Nation, recollects how political campaigns in previous a long time offered photographs of Latinos — typically males — with out context. "Simply by displaying their picture, displaying brown individuals, significantly brown males, it is alleged to be scary."

The truth that the federal government's social media posts include statements about felony historical past in addition to photographs reinforces that emotional response, Chavez stated. DHS has beforehand acknowledged inaccuracies on their web site. However even when the division points corrections, Chavez stated, "the aim was truly achieved, which was to bolster the criminality and the visualization."

CNN's evaluation of DHS's "Arrested: Worst of the Worst" web site confirmed that for lots of out of about 25,000 individuals posted on the web site, the crimes listed weren't violent felonies. As an alternative, DHS listed individuals with data that included visitors offenses, marijuana possession or unlawful reentry. DHS stated the web site had a "glitch" that it'll repair but in addition that the individuals in query "have [committed] further crimes."

"I've by no means seen something like this in the case of immigration enforcement within the fashionable period," stated Juliet Stumpf, a professor at Lewis & Clark Legislation College who research the intersection of immigration and felony legislation. She stated the drumbeat of social media posts centered on particular people was like "FBI's most needed posters" or "like actuality TV exhibits."

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5480x3653+99+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F10%2F61%2Faacea14e41b99a605b4e4f0dca38%2Fap25141585380463.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/5480x3653+99+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F10%2F61%2Faacea14e41b99a605b4e4f0dca38%2Fap25141585380463.jpg" class="img" alt="Then-DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin, flanked by deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Madison Sheahan, left, and Acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons, speaks during a news conference at ICE Headquarters, in Washington, D.C., on May 21, 2025." loading="lazy"/> Then-DHS Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin, flanked by deputy director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Madison Sheahan (left), and Appearing director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons, speaks throughout a information convention at ICE Headquarters, in Washington, D.C., on Could 21, 2025. Jose Luis Magana/AP cover caption

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Jose Luis Magana/AP Stumpf drew a parallel with an incident from the Nineteen Fifties when the U.S. authorities deported two everlasting residents suspected of being communists. "The federal government was type of proclaiming and celebrating their deportation as a result of eliminating these communists was making the nation safer," stated Stumpf, "Possibly that is akin to one thing like [this]."

An evaluation by the Deportation Knowledge Venture exhibits a dramatic improve in arrests of noncitizens with out felony data throughout President Trump's present time period in comparison with President Biden's time period.

"If you happen to take a look at analysis, immigrants truly are inclined to commit fewer crimes than even U.S. residents do. And that is true of immigrants who've lawful standing right here and immigrants who do not," stated Stumpf. "If we have now quite a few social media posts which might be portray immigrants because the worst of the worst…it is truly actually placing out a distorted model of actuality about who immigrants truly are."

Some claims are disputed by different authorities In some posts, DHS and ICE have additionally used photographs of individuals and statements about their felony histories to burnish the federal authorities's accomplishments, defend their brokers and criticize states like Minnesota. State and native authorities have in flip pushed again, and a few of the federal authorities's claims in regards to the individuals it has detained have been met with setbacks within the courts.

DHS accused Minnesota's Cottonwood County of not honoring detainers, written requests by ICE to carry prisoners in custody for a time period so ICE can choose them up. In a single submit, the company recognized an individual who was charged with youngster sexual abuse, writing "That is who sanctuary metropolis politicians and anti-ICE agitators are defending."

The Cottonwood County sheriff's workplace stated DHS's submit "misrepresented the reality" in their very own submit on Fb. In accordance with their account, the county did honor the detainer however ICE stated it was unable to select up the particular person earlier than the order expired and the county needed to launch the suspect.

The Minnesota Division of Corrections wrote in a weblog submit that dozens of individuals DHS listed on its "Worst of the Worst" web site weren't arrested as DHS described, however had been transferred to ICE by the state as a result of they had been already in state custody. The Corrections Division has since launched a web page devoted to "right the Division of Homeland Safety's (DHS) repeated false claims."

The "Worst of the Worst" web site has some overlap with the division's social media posts, nevertheless it comprises a a lot bigger variety of individuals — over 30,000 nationally. It included a Colombian soccer star who was extradited to the U.S., tried in Texas, convicted of drug trafficking and served time in federal jail. The web site incorrectly describes him as being arrested in Wisconsin. The soccer participant, Jhon Viáfara Mina, lately completed his sentence early and returned to Colombia, in line with Spanish newspaper El Diario Vasco.

In some situations, DHS and ICE wrote about incidents the place they bumped into battle when finishing up arrests. In these posts, they named the arrestees and posted their photographs. However in a single case the place the incident went to courtroom, the federal government's account of the occasions shifted. After a federal agent shot Julio C. Sosa-Celis in Minneapolis in January, DHS claimed he was lodging a "violent assault on legislation enforcement." Assault fees in opposition to Sosa-Celis fell aside in courtroom as new proof surfaced, and the officers concerned had been placed on depart.