The Rise of Immigration Detention: A Closer Look

The number of people held by U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has hit an all-time high. As of recently, ICE is holding over 73, 000 individuals. This is a big jump from last year when the number was below 40, 000. The Trump administration wants to increase this number to 100, 000. This is part of a larger plan to remove more immigrants from the U. S. Most of the people detained are single adults. About 67, 000 of them are facing deportation due to immigration violations. Another 6, 000 are families, including parents and children. ICE detains people for various reasons. Some entered the U. S. illegally or overstayed their visas. Others are legal immigrants whose status was revoked due to criminal offenses.About 47% of the detainees have criminal charges or convictions. The rest are classified as "immigration violators. " They are held solely for civil immigration violations. The number of non-criminal detainees has surged by 2, 500% since January 2025. This group has seen the most rapid increase. The growth in detainee numbers comes after ICE received a huge funding boost. The One Big Beautiful Act provided $45 billion to expand detention space. ICE is using various facilities, including military sites and state facilities. Some of these places, like the "Alligator Alcatraz" in Florida, are not designed for long-term detention. Under President Trump, ICE has been given a broad mandate to increase arrests and deportations. The agency has rescinded Biden-era rules that focused on serious offenders and recent arrivals. ICE officers and Border Patrol agents have been conducting highly visible raids in major cities. Their tactics have been criticized as harsh and indiscriminate.