1 percent of people deported in 2016 associated with gangs, according to ICE report

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have confirmed to FOX 5 that they have detainers on four adults charged in the murder of a 15-year-old girl killed in Fairfax County.

With recent ICE immigration enforcement raids seen across the country, the question has been raised - are these raids helping to get hardened criminals and gang members out or are they targeting people who are looking for a better life?

The topic of who exactly is being targeted by ICE in these raids can be polarizing and answers can vary depending on who you ask. But the data coming directly from ICE is providing some answers.

President Donald Trump has made it clear he is taking hard stance on illegal immigration. Recent immigration raids around the country have spurred protest and praise. During Trump's presidential campaign, Trump said, "We have some bad hombres here and we are going to get them out."

But how many people being detained and deported are hardened criminals? FOX 5 reached out to ICE for that information, but were told that because the Trump administration is so new, their numbers only reflect a specific raid or week.

However, a look back gives us a clear idea of the breakdown of exactly who is being deported. According to ICE data, for immigration removals in fiscal year 2016, 240,255 people were deported, which includes people arrested in ICE raids and people arrested by other law enforcement agencies and handed over to ICE.

That was a 2 percent increase from 2015. Of those, 58 percent or 138,669 people were previously convicted of a crime, and 2,057 people were classified as suspected or confirmed gang members. This means less than one percent of the total people deported in fiscal year 2016 were associated with gangs.

On the other hand, 42 percent or 101,586 people were not previously convicted of any crimes.

Another big question is about the reentry of convicted criminals who are deported after serving their sentences and then end up coming right back into the United States. ICE said that is hard to track and the agency does not have data to answer that.