Over a Dozen ‘Worst of the Worst’ Illegal Aliens Have Been Arrested in Hagerstown by ICE

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced the introduction of a new public-facing website designed to provide transparency regarding enforcement operations targeting criminal illegal aliens. This new platform, branded the “Worst of the Worst” (wow.dhs.gov), aggregates detailed information about individuals arrested by DHS during enforcement actions since the beginning of the Trump Administration. The site allows residents across the country, including those in communities like Hagerstown, Maryland, to search through records of individuals with significant criminal histories who have been detained and removed from American neighborhoods. The data shows Hagerstown as a significant regional hot spot for arrests, with local arrest counts exceeding double of nearby municipalities, including Frederick and Martinsburg.

This article was updated 12/8/2025 with a note that we are unable to independently verify DHS’ claims and statistics.

DHS reports that the majority of arrests conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) involve individuals charged or convicted of crimes within the United States. According to DHS, 70 percent of ICE arrests fall into this category, a figure that excludes individuals identified as foreign fugitives, gang members, human rights abusers, or terrorists. The new webpage showcases thousands of these arrests, highlighting criminal histories that frequently include severe offenses such as homicide, rape, assault, child molestation, drug trafficking, battery, and armed robbery. The agency noted that the website launched with approximately 10,000 arrest records and will be continuously updated.

Data publicly available through the new DHS tool indicates significant enforcement activity has occurred within Hagerstown, Maryland. Records currently show there have been 14 “worst of the worst” arrests by ICE in Hagerstown, involving individuals with convictions for highly serious crimes impacting public safety in the area. These convictions include homicide, strongarm rape, and multiple instances of sex offenses against a child. Additional arrests in the Hagerstown area featured individuals convicted of aggravated assault with a weapon, drug trafficking, arson, weapon offenses, and negligent vehicular manslaughter. The individuals arrested in this area originated from various nations, including El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, the United Kingdom, Haiti, and Cameroon.

For comparison, in Frederick, Maryland, there have only been 5 “worst of the worst” arrests by ICE, and in Martinsburg, West Virginia, only 6 arrests. To the west, 3 arrests have been performed in Cumberland, Maryland, and 4 arrests to the north in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and 7 in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. A total of 100 arrestees are currently featured from Maryland, 218 from Pennsylvania, and 57 from West Virginia.

The launch of the “Worst of the Worst” platform is framed by DHS as a means to fulfill a commitment to carry out mass deportations, prioritizing the most violent and serious offenders. The agency has stated that this heightened transparency is necessary given challenges faced by federal law enforcement in securing cooperation at the state and local levels, particularly where officials decline to honor federal immigration detainers. Furthermore, DHS noted that the daily work of enforcement officers is occurring in an increasingly hostile environment.

Residents who wish to review the types of dangerous criminal elements that have been removed from their local communities by federal authorities can utilize the new website to search by location, state, or specific criminal conviction.

Because the criminal convictions may have occurred across numerous states and DHS did not provide the specific court disposition records needed for verification, Radio Free Hub City was unable to independently confirm the specific convictions for the 14 individuals through local and state public court records, although initial searches of news articles did locate relevant articles for most offenders, many of which occurred outside of Maryland. As noted by GAO, DHS does not fully explain its methodology in calculating its statistics, and they cannot be verified.

Article by Ken Buckler, based upon information from U.S. Department of Homeland Security

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