White House press secretary says all illegal immigrants arrested are criminals: 'That's exactly what they are'

The White House on Tuesday clarified that all the illegal immigrants arrested by federal immigration authorities in recent days "are criminals," as far as the Trump administration is concerned. 

"The 3,500 arrests that ICE (U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement) has made so far since President Trump came back into office. Can you just tell us the numbers? How many have a criminal record versus those who are just in the country illegally," one reporter asked. 

"All of them, because they illegally broke our nation's laws, and therefore, they are criminals as far as this administration goes," Leavitt replied. "I know the last administration didn't see it that way. So it's a big culture shift in our nation to view someone who breaks our immigration laws as a criminal, but that's exactly what they are."

"If they broke our nation's laws, yes, they are a criminal," Leavitt said. 

On Sunday alone, ICE arrested 1,000 people and lodged 554 detainers.