(20 Mar 2025)
According to their most recent update, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) currently detains
46,269 people as of March 9, 2025, the highest number of detainees since October 2019, when ICE
detained 49,419 individuals. But this is still below detention levels during the first Trump
administration prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the last detention
report
two weeks ago when detention levels were reported as 43,759, ICE has been increasing the number of
detainees by around 400 each day.
ICE has also begun releasing detention numbers for
two facilities
located at Guantanamo Bay. According to the statistics, a facility entitled JTF Camp Six has an
average daily population of 9 individuals while another center called Migrant Ops Center Main holds an
average of 4 detainees per day. This seemingly contradicts reporting from the press indicating that
dozens of people
have been flown to and then detained at Guantanamo
two different times over the past few months.
A bit of math makes some sense out of what can appear to be a discrepancy upon first reading. Average
daily population is calculated based on the average population during all days in the fiscal year to
that point (e.g. January 20 was the 112th day of fiscal year 2025). If detainees are only held at a
location for a limited number of days before the facility is emptied out, as is consistent with
media reporting, the average daily population may be much lower than the real number of individuals detained at that
center on any given day.
Highlights from data updated in TRAC's Detention Quick Facts tool show that:
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Immigration and Customs Enforcement held 46,269 in ICE detention according to data current as of
March 9, 2025.
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23,081 out of 46,269—or 49.9%—held in ICE detention have no criminal record, according to data
current as of March 9, 2025. Many more have only minor offenses, including traffic violations.
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ICE relied on detention facilities in Texas to house the most people during FY 2025, according to
data current as of March 3, 2025.
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ICE arrested 17,375 and CBP arrested 4,238 of the 21,613 people booked into detention by ICE during
February 2025.
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Adams County Det Center in Natchez, Mississippi held the largest number of ICE detainees so far in
FY 2025, averaging 2,153 per day (as of March 2025).
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ICE Alternatives to Detention (ATD) programs are currently monitoring 183,784 families and single
individuals, according to data current as of March 7, 2025.
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San Francisco's area office has highest number in ICE's Alternatives to Detention (ATD)
monitoring programs, according to data current as of March 7, 2025.
TRAC’s Immigration Quick Facts provides the latest data on
immigrant detention,
immigration court
cases, and
immigration prosecutions
in federal court. Each page includes several key data points alongside a graphic or table, a short
description for context, and a link to more data. Visit
tracreports.org/immigration/quickfacts
for more information.
TRAC is a self-supporting, nonpartisan, and independent research organization specializing in
data collection and analysis on federal enforcement, staffing, and spending. We produce multiple
reports every month on critical issues, and we also provide comprehensive data analysis tools.
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To know more about our work, click
here.
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