The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reached a notable milestone in its history, with the detainee count soaring to a record 73,000. This figure surpasses 70,000 for the first time in the agency’s 23-year existence, based on internal data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Record Detainee Numbers Amid Expanded Crackdown
As of Thursday, ICE holds approximately 73,000 individuals facing deportation nationwide. This represents an 84% increase since the same period in 2025, when the number of detainees was below 40,000.
Context of Increased Detentions
The Trump administration has set ambitious goals, aiming to detain up to 100,000 immigration detainees at any given time. Former officials have stated that the current number far exceeds any previous records in U.S. history. Doris Meissner, a former head of the Immigration and Naturalization Service, remarked, “It is absolutely a record, certainly in modern times.”
Demographics of Detainees
A majority of those in ICE custody are categorized as follows:
- Approximately 67,000 are single adult detainees.
- About 6,000 individuals are classified as family units, including parents and children.
The detainees face deportation due to various alleged violations of U.S. immigration laws, such as illegal entry or visa overstays. Notably, around 47% of detainees, roughly 34,000 individuals, have criminal charges or convictions in the U.S.
Non-Criminal Detainee Surge
Remarkably, there has been a 2,500% increase in non-criminal detainees from January 2025 to January 2026. During this same period, detainees with criminal convictions or charges grew by 80% and 243%, respectively.
Funding and Increased Capacity
The surge in detainee numbers follows significant funding received through the One Big Beautiful Act, which allocated $45 billion for expanding detention facilities. ICE has diversified its sources of detention space, utilizing county jails, for-profit prisons, and even military sites like Fort Bliss in Texas. Additionally, state facilities, such as the proposed “Alligator Alcatraz” in Florida, have been offered for this purpose.
Operational Changes and Public Response
With a broader mandate under the Trump administration, ICE has expanded its arrest and deportation efforts. The agency has resumed practices that were previously curtailed, sending thousands of officers for high-visibility operations in major cities. Recently, around 3,000 agents were deployed in Minneapolis, marking one of the largest operations in ICE’s history. This has led to increased tensions and public protests following incidents involving ICE agents.
Overall, the escalation in ICE’s detainee numbers reflects a significant shift in immigration enforcement strategies and has triggered a range of responses from various stakeholders across the country.
