News from TRAC

ICE detention expands and proliferates: 30% more ICE facilities than in October 2024

(12 May 2025) According to facility population numbers as reported by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, at least four detention facilities have held an average of 1,500 individuals since October 1, 2024. These include facilities in Natchez, Mississippi (2,168 detainees), Lumpkin, Georgia (1,717), Pearsall, Texas (1,663), and Winnfield, Louisiana (1,522). Together, these four facilities hold more than ten percent of ICE’s detained population on any given day.

The overall number of facilities detaining migrants has increased over the fiscal year, as well. In late October 2024, 111 facilities reported holding at least one detainee. As of the latest statistical release, 144 facilities held at least one detainee, a 30 percent increase in the total number of detention centers in about six months. This can be partially attributed to the number of new agreements signed by ICE with both private companies and local law enforcement agencies. ICE has worked to expand or open new facilities with private prison contractors such as CoreCivic and GeoGroup, while also reaching 287g agreements with dozens of state and local law enforcement agencies that allow them to hold migrants at local jails throughout the United States.

Highlights from data updated in TRAC's Detention Quick Facts tool show that:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement held 49,184 in ICE detention according to data current as of April 20, 2025.
21,997 out of 49,184—or 44.7%—held in ICE detention have no criminal record, according to data current as of April 20, 2025. Many more have only minor offenses, including traffic violations.
ICE relied on detention facilities in Texas to house the most people during FY 2025, according to data current as of April 14, 2025.
ICE arrested 19,125 and CBP arrested 3,804 of the 22,929 people booked into detention by ICE during March 2025.
Adams County Det Center in Natchez, Mississippi held the largest number of ICE detainees so far in FY 2025, averaging 2,168 per day (as of April 2025).
ICE Alternatives to Detention (ATD) programs are currently monitoring 184,342 families and single individuals, according to data current as of April 18, 2025.
San Francisco's area office has highest number in ICE's Alternatives to Detention (ATD) monitoring programs, according to data current as of April 18, 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. Click here to see more about TRAC's entire suite of immigration tools.

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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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