News from TRAC

ICE Monitoring Fewest Immigrants on ATD in Two-and-a-Half Years

(19 Jul 2024) According to the latest data released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), a total of 177,670 immigrants are being monitored in the agency’s Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program. From the start of the Biden administration through the end of the 2022 calendar year, ATD numbers grew dramatically, reaching a reported height of 377,980 as of December 17, 2022. Since the start of 2023, however, these numbers have declined steadily and reached a plateau between about 185,000 and 195,000 since the summer of 2023. These numbers then declined further in recent weeks to its current numbers, the lowest since January 15, 2022, when the total was 164,391. This decline coincides with the Biden administration’s recent efforts to limit access to asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Despite this overall decline in the ATD population, two trends continue from TRAC’s recent findings. First, the number of immigrants monitored on ATD by ICE’s Chicago office actually increased from 18,478 two weeks ago to 19,003 this week—one of the few offices to do so. ICE's Chicago Area of Responsibility includes not just Chicago proper, but also the entire states of Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Kansas, and Missouri. Second, ICE’s latest ATD technology, the VeriWatch GPS monitoring smartwatch, continues its expansion from 4,557 two weeks ago to 4,890 this week. ICE’s Seattle office monitors the most immigrants using VeriWatch at 589. ICE’s Los Angeles office comes in second at 560, and ICE’s Philadelphia office comes in third at 402.

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

Immigration and Customs Enforcement held 37,004 in ICE detention according to data current as of July 14, 2024.
22,019 out of 37,004—or 59.5%—held in ICE detention have no criminal record, according to data current as of July 14, 2024. Many more have only minor offenses, including traffic violations.
ICE relied on detention facilities in Texas to house the most people during FY 2024, according to data current as of July 8, 2024.
ICE arrested 7,360 and CBP arrested 17,625 of the 24,985 people booked into detention by ICE during June 2024.
South Texas Fam Residential Center in Dilley, Texas held the largest number of ICE detainees so far in FY 2024, averaging 1,707 per day (as of July 2024).
ICE Alternatives to Detention (ATD) programs are currently monitoring 177,670 families and single individuals, according to data current as of July 13, 2024.
Chicago's area office has the highest number in ICE's Alternatives to Detention (ATD) monitoring programs, according to data current as of July 13, 2024.

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 trac.syr.edu/immigration/quickfacts for more information.