Image: from The Washington Post.

This page is part of a resource collection: Tracking ICE During the Second Trump Administration.

ICE using fake footage

Drew Harwell & Joyce Sohyun Lee: We checked DHS’s videos of chaos and protests. Here’s what they leave out. Trump administration videos purporting to show the triumph of recent immigration operations used footage that was months old or recorded thousands of miles away, an analysis found.

The lie that ICE raids target criminals

Brennan Center for Justice: Debunking the Myth of the ‘Migrant Crime Wave.’

2026

CBS News: Less than 14% of those arrested by ICE in Trump’s 1st year back in office had violent criminal records, document shows.

Will Craft: Worst of the worst? Most US immigrants targeted for deportation in 2025 had no criminal charges.

2025

Edith Olmsted: ICE Logic for Deporting “Gang Members” Is Based on Total Lie.

Roque Planas: Nearly all immigrants detained in Trump Chicago raid had no criminal conviction: Data sharply contradicts officials’ portrayal of immigration sweeps as effort to fight ‘worst of the worst’ criminals.

Albert Sun: Most Immigrants Arrested in City Crackdowns Have No Criminal Record.

Lies about migrant gangs

2026

Dell Cameron & Ryan Shapiro: Trump Warned of a Tren de Aragua ‘Invasion.’ US Intel Told a Different Story.Hundreds of records obtained by WIRED show thin intelligence on the Venezuelan gang in the United States, describing fragmented, low-level crime rather than a coordinated terrorist threat.

Sam Levin: DHS’s account of two Venezuelans shot by border patrol falls apart in court: ‘a smear campaign.’ Immigration officials said agent shot two ‘vicious gang members’ in Portland, but records obtained by the Guardian reveal US prosecutor contradicted claims.

Sergio Martínez-Beltrán: Court records: Chicago immigration raid was about squatters, not Venezuelan gangs.

2025

Sam Levin: Police across US spread false rumors about Venezuelan gang threats: Claim that Tren de Aragua planned to attack officers was widely shared – only for FBI to later acknowledge it was mistaken, internal files show.

The lie that ICE agents are being assaulted

2025

Noah Lanard: How Dangerous Is It Really to Work for ICE? According to ICE’s own data, none of its officers have been killed by an immigrant in the agency’s history.

NPR: White House claims “more than 1,000%” rise in assaults on ICE agents, data says otherwise.

James Queally & Brittny Mejia: Attacks on ICE up 1,000%? Trump administration claim not backed up by court records.

Lies about “violent protests”

2026

Sam Levin: DoJ cases against protesters keep collapsing as officers’ lies are exposed in court: String of embarrassing defeats for prosecutors as experts condemn DoJ effort to cast people as ‘violent perpetrators.’

Lies about ICE murders and brutality

2026

George Chidi: Trump officials continue to push lies after fatal shooting of Alex Pretti. Trump and team seem to prioritize vilifying victims of their immigration operations, regardless of conflicting evidence.

Brittany Gibson: Trump officials stick “terrorist” label on Americans killed by DHS.

Jennifer Ludden & Liz Baker: Videos and eyewitnesses refute federal account of Minneapolis shooting.

José Olivares and Aaron Glantz: Democrats deride veterans affairs secretary for repeating false claims about Alex Pretti’s killing.

NPR: DHS keeps making false claims about people. It’s part of a broader pattern.

Dace Potas: Trump administration blames the victim – and lies about it. The Trump administration is developing narratives for ICE incidents entirely independent of the facts of each incident. Even worse? ICE is the only agency investigating its own shootings.