Published June 19, 2024
Overview. These data provide detailed information on the number and characteristics of individuals held in custody by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the detention facilities in which they are being held. The information is organized as a series of snapshots taken over time at the end of each month[1]. Each snapshot covers the universe of individuals then detained by ICE. The information was compiled by TRAC from detainee-by-detainee records obtained from ICE following a persistent FOIA campaign which included a series of lawsuits filed under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) by the co-founders of the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. This FOIA campaign continues, and the app will be updated as new ICE records are received. Characteristics of the immigrants, the length of time they had then been held in custody, and information about the detention facilities are included.
TRAC's new detention tool works in a similar fashion and displays data in three interconnected tables and a time series graph.
Graph: The time series graph displays the value for the selected statistics over time. Radio buttons allow toggling between displaying values at the end of each fiscal year or month-by-month. The graph updates to reflect the subset of cases chosen in the table row category last selected. Mousing over a bar in this graph reveals the data value and date it represents. Radio buttons allow the user to switch between displaying the number of cases or the percentage they represent.
Interconnected Tables: A user must first select which particular time period such as month and year information about ICE detainees is being displayed. Pulldown menus above each of the three tables control which variable or factor is displayed.
By default, table rows are displayed by the frequency of occurrence within that table, from highest to lowest. Clicking above the column volume can switch the display order. Clicking above the category name can switch to displaying to alphabetical order, or reverse alphabetical order.
Selections from the three tables below the graph should be made from left to right and allow the user to "drill" down or filter the data into narrower and narrower sub- categories. If you select a specific row in the left table, only those cases within that selection will display in the table to the immediate right.
The tables and graph are interconnected. Click on a row in the left table to display only cases within that class in the middle table and in the graph. Click on a row in the middle table to display only cases within that class in the right table and in the graph. Click on a row in the right table to display only cases within that class in the graph.
Pulldown Menus Above Each Table control the variable or factor displayed. Available selections in table pulldown menus include:
State. The state or territory where the detention facility in which the individual was held was located.
County. The county and state where the detention facility in which the individual was held was located.
Facility. Name of the detention facility.
Facility Type: by governmental unit or private facility type.
County Facility
Federal Facility
ICE Facility
Local Facility
Other Facility Type
State Facility
Private Facility
Facility Type Detailed. the arrangements used by ICE to use this facility to hold individuals in custody.
| BOP | A facility operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons |
| CDF | Contract Detention Facility: A facility that is owned by a private company and contracted directly with the government. |
| IGSA | Intergovernmental Service Agreement: A publicly-owned facility operated by state/local government(s), or private contractors, in which ICE contracts for bed space via an Intergovernmental Service Agreement; or local jails used by ICE pursuant to Inter-governmental Service Agreements, which house both ICE and non-ICE detainees, typically county prisoners awaiting trial or serving short sentences, but sometimes also USMS prisoners. |
| DIGSA | Dedicated Intergovernmental Service Agreement: An IGSA in which ICE contracts to use all bed space or which only houses ICE detainees. |
| SPC | Service Processing Center: A facility owned by the government and staffed by a combination of federal and contract employees. |
| FAMILY | Family Residential Center (ICE reports it discontinued use of FRCs on March 31, 2022). |
| STAGING | A special ICE holding area or staging location that under current ICE detention standards is allowed to temporarily house aliens for up to 12 or 16 hours. These types of units generally have no sleeping quarters or shower facilities. |
| HOLD | Temporary hold room or holding location typically at an ICE office location. |
| USMS CDF | U.S. Marshals Service Contract Detention Facility: A facility contracted with the USMS for housing USMS detainees, in which ICE contracts with USMS for bed space. |
| USMS IGA | U.S. Marshals Service Intergovernmental Agreement: A facility primarily contracted with the USMS for housing of USMS detainees, in which ICE contracts with the USMS for bed space. |
| HOSPITAL | Medical Facility |
| OTHER | Other Facilities |
How Long in ICE Custody. The length of time between the date the individual initially entered ICE custody and the date of the end of the month for that selected snapshot. This includes the stays before individual was transferred to this facility when this facility is not the first one held at. Eventual stays will, of course, be longer since none of these individuals had yet been released[1].
Time in U.S. Length of time that available ICE information indicates the individual has resided in the U.S. since they last entered the country. This information was not made available by ICE for a significant number of individuals.
Legal Permanent Resident. Whether ICE recorded the individual's category as a green card holder when the person most recently entered the country. This information is not recorded by ICE for a significant number of individuals.
Asylum Seeker/Refugee. Whether ICE recorded the individual's category as a asylum seeker or refugee when the person most recently entered the country. This information is not recorded by ICE for a significant number of individuals.
Most Serious Criminal Conviction (MSCC). The recorded most serious offense the individual was convicted for. Offense categories utilize the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) coding system maintained by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Where there are multiple convictions, ICE identified the most serious offense.
Seriousness Level of MSCC Conviction. ICE classifies National Crime Information Center (NCIC) offense codes into three seriousness levels. The most serious (Level 1) covers what ICE considers to be "aggravated felonies." Level 2 offenses cover other felonies, while Level 3 offenses are misdemeanors, including petty and other minor violations of the law.
Length of Time Since MSCC Conviction. How long ago the individual was convicted for that offense compared to the date for the end of month for the selected snapshot.
Age Group. The age of the individual at the time (calculated from the year of birth recorded by ICE).
Citizenship. The recorded citizenship of the individual.
Gender. The recorded gender of the individual.
To access additional data using other TRAC immigration enforcement tools, go to this directory of data tools.
Footnotes