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A new report by nonprofit Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) has found that, despite having a national detention capacity far exceeding its current detainee population, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has continuously transferred individuals far from their initial booking locations, sometimes to facilities operating over their contractual limits.
The practice, the report says, raises questions about ICE's operational priorities and potential efforts to fast-track deportations.
"Numerous reports show that ICE, after arresting individuals and booking them into one facility, quickly move them to a different detention facility usually far from their home," TRAC stated in the report. "Was there not capacity at a detention facility closer to where they lived? Or might ICE be moving detainees to locations where judges impose fewer procedural requirements so the agency can deport individuals more quickly?"
The report points to April 13 as an example. That night, ICE held 48,056 individuals in custody across 181 facilities, while its total contractual capacity stood at 62,913 beds—about 76% capacity. Yet 45 facilities exceeded their contractual capacity, including eight that held over 100 more detainees than allowed.
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