Photograph by Nathaniel St. Clair

PBS’ Amna Nawaz tried.

When interviewing Tricia McLaughlin, Assistant U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security, Nawaz asked for clarification on Trump’s flipflop of whether or not to exempt from arrest undocumented agricultural and hospitality workers. McLaughlin responded that 75% of ICE arrests have been of violent criminals, dismissing as untrustworthy a CNN report that showed otherwise. What’s odd is that that report featured ICE data showing that less than 10% of arrests during fiscal year 2025 were of criminals convicted of any crime, violent or otherwise.

Considered alongside other claims from Trump administration officials, McLaughlin’s exchange with Nawaz is part of a pattern. Put more succinctly, confusing the public has become central to how key players in the government legitimize the administration’s controversial mass deportation program. Finding clarity on the numbers and pointing to who really stands to gain from rounding up scores of people, reveals a concerted effort to have taxpayers bankroll the privatization of public security to benefit a handful of Trump allies.

Another stat worth examining – that 75% of ICE arrests have been of violent criminals. Where did McLaughlin get that from?

And it’s not just McLaughlin who’s invoked it.

Secretary Noem, in an Instagram........

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