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Trump urged DHS and ICE to change their PR approach. Fox News followed along.

Written by Helena Hind & Isabella Corrao

Published

Since President Donald Trump’s public request for DHS and ICE to start publicizing the names and faces of alleged violent criminals seized in immigration raids, Fox News personalities have followed the president’s edict. 

In addition to devoting segments to airing names, mugshots, and countries of origin of those detained by ICE, the network has painted the targets of immigration raids with a broad brush, labeling them “murderers, rapists, gang members, terrorists, child molesters,” and other violent criminals.

  • Trump asked ICE and DHS to spotlight criminal histories of detainees, even as data shows most of those seized have not been convicted of violent crimes

    • The morning of January 20, Trump urged DHS and ICE to publicize the identities and crimes of people seized in immigration sweeps to encourage people to support ICE. In a Truth Social post, he wrote that DHS and ICE “must start talking about the murderers and other criminals that they are capturing and taking out of the system.” He instructed the agencies to “Show the Numbers, Names, and Faces of the violent criminals, and show them NOW. The people will start supporting the Patriots of ICE, instead of the highly paid troublemakers, anarchists, and agitators!” [Bluesky, 1/20/26]
    • During a White House press briefing later that day, Trump spent 15 minutes displaying mugshots of various migrants supposedly seized for committing serious crimes. [Reuters, 1/20/26]
    • Data from multiple sources show that less than 10% of immigrants seized by ICE nationwide have been convicted of a violent crime. The New York Times’ data showed only 7% through mid-October, while a report from the Cato Institute showed 5% between October 1 and November 24. [New York Times, 12/4/25; Cato Institute; 11/24/25]

  • Following Trump’s instructions, Fox News spotlighted people seized by ICE

    • Host Jesse Watters introduced his “Mugshot Monday” segment highlighting “the worst of the worst” among those seized by ICE: “They don't want their audience seeing the mugs because once they do, they might start questioning who they’re fighting for.” Watters continued, listing the names, photos, countries of origin, and crimes of multiple migrants seized by ICE: “Trump's trying to get these illegals out, but Minnesota's keeping them in.” [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 1/20/26]
    • Fox & Friends aired a segment of reporter Griff Jenkins embedded with ICE in Maine, in which Jenkins listed the alleged crimes of those seized during “Operation Catch of the Day.” Jenkins: “Take a look at this man from Sudan. Now this Sudanese migrant right here has a long rap sheet. He has more than a dozen criminal convictions in Maine according to DHS, and those convictions include aggravated assault, false imprisonment, multiple violations of protection orders, a federal immigration judge had ordered his final removal long ago but until today, guys, he was roaming the streets due to Maine's sanctuary policies. Now to take a look at this video. We also made arrests of two Ecuadorian nationals. They are facing drunk driving charges, one crossed illegally during the Biden administration and was released." [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 1/21/26]
    • Fox carried a press conference in which acting executive associate director of ICE Marcos Charles presented the names, mugshots, countries of origin, and crimes of various “criminal illegal aliens” seized by ICE in the Twin Cities. Charles: “The people we have arrested here are not people you want living next door to your families, your children, your parents, or your best friends. They are criminals like Salvadoran criminal illegal alien Carlos Antonio Flores Miguel, an MS-13 gang member and registered sex offender with a final order of removal from 2021. He was deported four times and convicted of illegal entry twice and was charged with strong arm rape and resisting an officer.” [Fox News, America’s Newsroom, 1/22/26]

  • Fox News characterized migrants seized as violent criminals

    • Fox host Will Cain: “Let's reiterate why ICE is in Minnesota. It is simple: to remove illegal immigrant criminals. … Convicted rapists, child kidnappers, drug traffickers, murderers.” Cain continued: “DHS Secretary Kristi Noem announcing 10,000 criminal migrant arrests in Minneapolis. 3,000 of those arrests happened in the last six weeks. Again, that is 3,000 criminals in just six weeks. … President Trump highlighted some of the thousands arrested today." [Fox News, The Will Cain Show, 1/20/26]
    • Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett claimed Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is “siding with violent illegals that federal agents are trying to remove from the streets. Murderers, rapists, gang members, terrorists, child molesters.” He continued: “These are criminals victimizing the innocent people of Minnesota. So, it's hard to comprehend how anybody, especially elected officials sworn to uphold the law and protect citizens, would ever oppose arresting predators in their midst." [Fox News, Hannity, 1/20/26]
    • Fox anchor Trace Gallagher: “What truly baffles common sense is the very same liberals who are outraged and obsessed with Jeffrey Epstein and going after child sex predators are now impeding, interfering, and injuring law enforcement officers going after child sex predators.” He continued: “Have any of these protesters seen the thousands of illegal immigrants in this country accused of raping and sexually abusing children?” [Fox News, Fox News @ Night, 1/20/26]
    • Sean Hannity played a clip of Trump’s press briefing and emphasized that “ICE is focused on only deporting criminals,” which includes “terrorists, murderers, rapists, cartel members, gang members.” Hannity: “Over 12 million unvetted Harris-Biden-Mayorkas illegals in the country, including known terrorists, murderers, rapists, cartel members, gang members, other violent criminals. ICE is trying to find these bad people, and they're trying to arrest them to make every community more safe and more secure." [Fox News, Hannity, 1/20/26]
    • Fox News contributor David Webb: “Everyone they take off the street is a child that’s not potentially not sodomized that night, a woman that is not attacked or possibly raped, someone who may be killed by a driver who doesn’t understand because he doesn’t speak the language.” [Fox News, Outnumbered, 1/21/26]
    • The Five co-host Emily Compagno complained about Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) calling anti-ICE protesters “patriots”: “Blowing whistles to protect their neighbors — does he mean from the recidivist murderers, child rapists, sodomizers, and more? No, he means from the brave men and women enforcing the law.” Watters added, “They don't even know their neighbors. Their neighbors have been convicted of homicide, of child molestation.” [Fox News, The Five, 1/21/26]
    • On Jesse Watters Primetime, To Catch a Predator host Chris Hansen said, “As the protesters are outside marching, they’re inside planning and identifying sexual predators and people who have preyed on children to go arrest them, who — people who are in this country illegally.” Hansen later added, “They have criminal warrants for them in most cases, Jesse. That’s the thing. They just don't go out and throw a net out to get anybody who's in this country illegally. They in most cases have committed a crime." [Fox News, Jesse Watters Primetime, 1/21/26]
    • Jenkins reiterated “the reason why ICE is in Minneapolis … the murderers, rapists, drug traffickers, the violent illegal alien criminals that have been protected, running free on the streets of cities like Minneapolis, ICE is going in to try and get them and deport them.” He continued: “That was President Trump's promise to the nation, to close the border, which he's done. Eight straight months of zero releases, and to remove these individuals." [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 1/22/26]