News from TRAC

ICE Detention Numbers At Standstill Across the Board

(23 Aug 2022) The number of people in ICE custody typically fluctuates, and in recent months, ICE's Alternatives to Detention (ATD) program has grown tremendously to nearly 300,000. However, in August so far, ICE's numbers have become fairly static across the board. From the end of July, when ICE last released data until the middle of August, the total number of people on ATD has barely grown at all, hovering just below 300,000. ICE's detained population has remained between about 23,000 and 24,000 for the summer, despite reports of large numbers of migrants arriving at the US-Mexico border.

No news is typically no news when it comes to ICE detention data. But these fairly static numbers raise important questions about what drives populations of people in detention and on ATD. What remains clear is that the detained and ATD populations are not inherently tied to the number of people arriving at the border or being arrested in the interior of the country. Many other legal, policy as well as practical considerations influence what occurs.

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

Immigration and Customs Enforcement held 24,127 in ICE detention according to data current as of August 15, 2022.
16,446 out of 24,127—or 68.2%—held in ICE detention have no criminal record, according to data current as of August 15, 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 August 14, 2022.
ICE arrested 5,448 and CBP arrested 16,235 of the 21,683 people booked into detention by ICE during July 2022.
Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia held the largest number of ICE detainees so far in FY 2022, averaging 1,093 per day (as of August 2022).
ICE Alternatives to Detention (ATD) programs are currently monitoring 297,994 families and single individuals, according to data current as of August 13, 2022.
San Antonio's area office has highest number in ICE's Alternatives to Detention (ATD) monitoring programs, according to data current as of August 13, 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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