Worth Knowing, Probably Not Quite Threadworthy 8/30

[SVPete]

The Claim That 400K Trans-Identified People Have Fled Their States

https://instapundit.com/819801/

Tweet concludes, “As @kittypurrzog pointed out on @TheBARPod, the 400K figure was, with some faulty math, extrapolated by Erin Reed based on the NORC survey, which included just 10 trans people who said they’d fled a state. The survey did not provide a representative sample either. So this figure has been all but plucked out of the air and was not actually reached by NORC themselves. It is a figment of Erin Reed’s work with a calculator.

WashPost making @#$% up with ProggieDust ... situation normal.

[ADsOutburst]

The Claim That 400K Trans-Identified People Have Fled Their States

https://instapundit.com/819801/

WashPost making @#$% up with ProggieDust ... situation normal.

"10 trans people have fled their states, so that means... *mashes calculator*... 400k have fled their states!"

Always, always pay extra scrutiny to statistical arguments, and especially those coming from the left.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Here's another doozy from the Washington Compost:

The Washington Post Can't Be That Dumb, Right?

The Washington Post, in a baffling attempt to disparage the mass deportation agenda put forth by President Donald Trump, published data revealing that more than 60 percent of illegal aliens detained by ICE had criminal records other than being illegally present in the United States.



The Post’s story revealed that, since taking office for his second term, the Trump administration has arrested over 500,000 individuals illegally present in the United States. Of those 500,000, more than 300,000 had either pending charges or a criminal record.

The Post also seemed oblivious to the fact that maintaining an illegal presence in the United States is…illegal, as pointed out by Bill Melugin of Fox News and ICE themselves.

Bill Melugin
@BillMelugin_
Crossing the border illegally is a federal crime via 8 USC 1325. 5 year statute of limitation for first time offense.

Overstaying a visa is a civil offense.

Being unlawfully present in the U.S. is a civil offense.

But none of these semantics matter, because any of the above can result in ICE detention.

There is no requirement under US law that an alien must have a criminal record before being detained by ICE. There never has been.

ICE also does not need a judicial warrant to make arrests. (Unless they’re entering private property like a home).

All they need is reasonable suspicion that an alien is unlawfully present in the country.

Bottom line, all aliens who violate US immigration law are subject to ICE arrest and detention. This is how the law has been for decades.

https://townhall.com/news/josephchalfant/2026/08/29/the-washington-post-cant-be-that-dumb-right-n2682118

[SVPete]

The WashPost, being typical Prog-Faithful are playing word games. "No criminal record" means tried and convicted. The phrase excludes those awaiting trial; it excludes those that Lib/Progs DAs declined to prosecute; it excludes those whose crimes were revealed by their arrest. Among the latter would be working: under the table; for an employer who does not check eligibility; stealing someone's identity to get necessary documents.

The latter case is particularly damaging, as it screws up some unsuspecting innocent's tax and Social Security status.

[ADsOutburst]

The WashPost, being typical Prog-Faithful are playing word games. "No criminal record" means tried and convicted. The phrase excludes those awaiting trial; it excludes those that Lib/Progs DAs declined to prosecute; it excludes those whose crimes were revealed by their arrest. Among the latter would be working: under the table; for an employer who does not check eligibility; stealing someone's identity to get necessary documents.

The latter case is particularly damaging, as it screws up some unsuspecting innocent's tax and Social Security status.

Another word game the left plays is saying "no human is illegal". Of course, when a person calls someone an "illegal immigrant", they are saying calling the person's presence in the US is illegal, not their existence as a human. It's the same obtuseness the left showed when they did the "I am not a virus" thing after Trump used the phrase "China virus".