Border Czar Tom Homan said Monday that a substantial majority of individuals detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement have either been convicted of crimes or are facing criminal charges, arguing that the agency’s current enforcement figures reflect a successful approach.

Appearing on Newsmax TV’s “Carl Higbie Frontline,” Homan said the percentage of ICE detainees with criminal records or pending charges has declined slightly from earlier levels but remains strong.

According to Homan, ICE classifies criminals as individuals who have already been convicted or who are currently facing charges and were located while being held in custody.

“The bottom line is, we say a criminal is those who have a criminal conviction or pending criminal charges, which means we found them in the jail cell, locked in a jail cell, which means they’re probably not a choir boy, right?”

Homan noted that roughly 70 percent of ICE arrests previously involved individuals with criminal convictions or pending charges, while the current figure is somewhat lower.

“So, it was about 70%. Right now, I think we’re about 64%. But you know what? That’s a good number. For the people who say, well, you need to arrest everybody. I tell them, look, let’s say 60, 40, I think 60% criminal, 40% non-criminal is a good mix. I think it’s better than 40% criminal and 60% non-criminal. But everybody’s on the table.”

He emphasized that while individuals with criminal backgrounds remain the primary focus of enforcement efforts, ICE is not limiting its operations exclusively to that category and retains the authority to take action against anyone in the country illegally.

{Matzav.com}