The number of detainees in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody increased to 66,000 this week, setting a new record high as Trump intensifies his crackdown on illegal immigration, according to internal Department of Homeland Security data obtained by CBS News.
Never before has ICE held so many detainees facing deportation at any given time, according to officials, historical data and immigration policy experts.
ICE’s detainee population has ballooned by nearly 70% since Mr. Trump took office for a second time in January, when ICE was holding around 39,000 individuals in its detention system. The previous high before Mr. Trump’s second administration was recorded during his first term, in 2019, when ICE held about 56,000 detainees at one point, according to government figures compiled by researchers at Syracuse University.
I’d hope it would be all of them. It’s the legal ones I’m thinking of, let alone the actual citizens, that shouldn’t be there at all.
None of them should be there, I don’t care if they’re here legally or not, they deserve due process
Except that’s not what’s happening. They’re snatching up anyone who looks the part, even if immediately presented with proof of citizenship. Not just legal immigration status, citenship.
That’s why I asked how many were actually illegal immigrants. My bet is ICE doesn’t even know. Or care. As long as they meet their arbitrary quotas. It’s fucking reprehensible.