Washington Post fact-checks Trump illegal immigrants arrests claim: ‘Number is right but misleading’

The Washington Post fact-checked a claim made by President Trump during his Oval Office address Tuesday night that 266,000 immigrants in the country illegally were arrested in the past two years, concluding that “the number is right but misleading” due to the number including arrests for “illegal entry or reentry.”

“In the last two years, [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] officers made 266,000 arrests of aliens with criminal records, including those charged or convicted of 100,000 assaults, 30,000 sex crimes, and 4,000 violent killings,” Trump said in an address that was carried by all the major broadcast and cable networks. “Over the years, thousands of Americans have been brutally killed by those who illegally entered our country, and thousands more lives will be lost if we don’t act right now.”

“This is a humanitarian crisis,” he added. “A crisis of the heart and a crisis of the soul.”{mosads}

The Post concluded that the number was technically correct but wasn’t provided in the proper context. 

“Fact-checking Trump’s address: ‘266,000 aliens arrested in the past two years’: The number is right but misleading,” the tweet linking to the fact-check reads.

Fact-checking Trump’s address: “266,000 aliens arrested in the past two years”: The number is right but misleading https://t.co/VMCxT4GNDM

— The Washington Post (@washingtonpost) January 8, 2019

“So the numbers add up, but they’re misleading,” the Post report says. “The total covers all types of offenses, including illegal entry or reentry. ICE does not break down arrests by type of crime, but 16 percent of the total charges and convictions (not arrests) in 2016 were strictly immigration offenses.”

Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) responded to Trump’s speech Tuesday night, accusing the president of trying to “stoke fear” by using “misinformation.”

“Sadly, much of what we have heard from President Trump throughout this senseless shutdown has been full of misinformation and even malice,” Pelosi said. “The president has chosen fear. We want to start with the facts.”

The president and leaders of both parties are expected to meet at the White House on Wednesday as the partial government shutdown enters its 19th day.