by BOB AARONTue, June 2, 2026 at 6:17 PMUpdated Tue, June 2, 2026 at 6:23 PMAn ICE agent searches Nitro's Rio Grande Mexican Restaurant in January 2026. (WCHS)CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WCHS) — The American Civil Liberties Union of West Virginia said the federal government is stretching the truth about “Operation Country Roads,” a statewide roundup effort led by Immigration and Customs Enforcement earlier this year.In a recent report with investigative news site Dragline, the group said ICE arrest records do not support public claims that the immigration crackdown targeted people convicted of serious crimes such as child sex abuse and drug offenses.The report contends the 650 people that ICE and U.S. Attorney Moore Capito claim were arrested during the operation was an exaggeration from the actual number of 593.In addition, the report states 3-of-4 arrested had no prior criminal record.The report based on ICE record, indicates the government inflated West Virginia numbers by including people housed that were moved from Pennsylvania."This illustrates that there's propaganda, that there's misinformation going on about what was actually going on and who was actually arrested,” ACLU-WV director Eli Baumwell said. “As we've seen erosion of people's rights, as we've seen invasive policies, as we've seen families and communities broken up, it's not enhancing public safety and having to stretch the truth to justify doing this."The sweep did raise legal questions about holding immigrants as West Virginia’s already crowded jails were filled.U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin and other federal judges ordered the immediate release of multiple immigrant detainees.West Virginia law enforcement appeared to lead the nation in daily immigration arrests during at least four days of the operation.There were multiple arrests at a Nitro restaurant during Operation Country Roads that resulted in immigration-related criminal charges, including one in court Tuesday.ABC 8 has reached out to U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia Moore Capito for a response.