News from TRAC

Immigrant Detention Numbers Remain Low, Alternatives to Detention Growth Slows

(18 Mar 2022) According to new data available in TRAC’s Quick Facts detention data tool, immigration enforcement and detention numbers remained remarkably flat in recent weeks. On March 13, 2022, ICE held just over 20,000 immigrants in detention centers across the country, up slightly from about 18,000 at the end of February but consistent with numbers all the way back to September 2021. The number of immigrants booked into immigrant detention centers in February totaled 25,631, very nearly the same number as were booked in January (25,598).

The number of immigrants monitored on ICE’s ‘alternatives to detention’ (ATD) program increased to 191,988, consistent with growth in ATD that TRAC reported on recently.

The lack of growth in detention data despite the wind-down of pandemic closures is consistent with ICE’s recently-released “ICE Fiscal Year 2021 Annual Report,” which describes its immigration enforcement approach over the past fiscal year as expending resources more selectively.

Highlights from data updated today in TRAC’s Quick Fact tool show that:

Immigration and Customs Enforcement held 20,146 in ICE detention according to data current as of March 13, 2022.
14,405 out of 20,146—or 71.5%—held in ICE detention have no criminal record, according to data current as of March 13, 2022. Many more have only minor offenses, including traffic violations.
ICE relied on detention facilities in Texas to house the most people during FY 2022, according to data current as of March 7, 2022.
ICE arrested 3,718 and CBP arrested 21,913 of the 25,631 people booked into detention by ICE during February 2022.
Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia held the largest number of ICE detainees so far in FY 2022, averaging 1,116 per day (as of March 2022).
ICE Alternatives to Detention (ATD) programs are currently monitoring 191,988 families and single individuals, according to data current as of March 12, 2022.
Harlingen's area office has highest number in ICE's Alternatives to Detention (ATD) monitoring programs, according to data current as of March 12, 2022.

For more information, see TRAC's Quick Facts tools here or click here to learn more about TRAC's entire suite of immigration tools.

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