CNN’s analysis of DHS’s ‘Worst of the Worst’ website just exposed something the agency is desperately trying to explain away

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has admitted that its “Arrested: Worst Of the Worst” website contained incorrect information, and made changes to the site after an analysis brought these issues to light. The website is designed to showcase thousands of individuals allegedly arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), listing their names, crimes, and arrest locations.

According to CNN, an analysis of the site found that hundreds of people listed were actually arrested or convicted of very minor offenses, such as a single traffic violation or marijuana possession. This is far from what “worst of the worst” implies, raising serious questions about the accuracy of the data being presented.

A DHS spokesperson attributed the inaccuracies to a “glitch,” saying it affected about 5% of the entries on the website. The spokesperson claimed that many of these individuals actually had additional, more serious crimes, including felonies for illegal re-entry, which the glitch failed to display.

The DHS’s vague explanation for the ‘glitch’ raises more questions than it answers

The agency says the glitch was “resolved” on a Wednesday, but did not specify the exact nature of the problem or explain what went wrong. Despite the admitted errors, the DHS spokesperson maintained that all individuals on the site were arrested by ICE and placed in removal proceedings, and that every person listed had broken U.S. laws. The DHS has also been at the center of broader political disputes, with Democrats threatening a government shutdown over DHS funding in recent months.

The analysis also pointed out another pattern: a high number of immigrants were reportedly arrested in smaller cities. This could suggest that these individuals were not apprehended in active street operations, but may have already been in federal prison or transferred from state custody — an important distinction that changes the picture of who is being targeted and how.

This is not the first time DHS has faced scrutiny over its arrest claims. In a previous instance, the agency tried to justify the arrest of a U.S. citizen by claiming they believed him to be a violent sex offender. It later emerged that the individual had already been in jail for over a year, pointing to a similar pattern of transfers or mistaken identity rather than the active arrest of a dangerous criminal. 

The agency has also faced criticism over Democratic proposals to reform DHS operations that the White House has pushed back on. The DHS spokesperson reiterated that every person featured on the site had committed crimes that broke U.S. laws, including those with felonies for illegal re-entry, standing firmly by the core premise of the website despite the admitted data problems.

When a government agency runs a public-facing website claiming to feature the “worst of the worst,” the accuracy of that data carries real weight, and these repeated issues make it harder to take those claims at face value.