- DHS reports that detention centers across the U.S., which boast a total capacity of 47,600, are full. Since Trump took office in January, nearly 33,000 people have been detained. They include convicted criminals and those with pending criminal cases.
- DHS is working with other federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, to help manage the growing number of detainees.
- The Trump administration resumed family detention, a policy paused during the Biden administration.
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As President Donald Trump’s administration continues to push forward with its deportation orders, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official reports that detention centers across the nation are now at capacity. DHS officials said the total capacity for detention centers in the U.S. is 47,600 and that ongoing detention efforts have filled those beds.
Increase in detention efforts
Since Trump’s first day in office on Jan. 20, DHS reports immigration officials have detained nearly 33,000 people. Between Jan. 20 and March 10, more than 14,000 were convicted criminals, while nearly 10,000 have pending criminal cases. Meanwhile, authorities arrested 8,700 others for immigration violations.
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Federal agencies collaborate to address capacity issues
To address the growing strain on the country’s detention centers, DHS said it is working with other federal agencies, including the Department of Defense (DOD) and the federal prison system. In a statement to NBC News, acting director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Todd Lyons, said the focus of his agency’s enforcement operations are removing criminals while deterring illegal immigration.
“These ICE enforcement operations are not only removing criminals from American communities, but they are also discouraging people from coming to our country illegally,” Lyons said, adding, “We expect these ICE arrests and removal numbers will only go up as we unleash an agency that has had its hands tied behind its back for the past four years.”
Alternative detention program, family detention
DHS has been utilizing ICE’s alternative detention program to alleviate the strain on facilities, allowing for the release of individuals on medical or humanitarian grounds. While federal agencies work to secure more detention space, the Trump administration is resuming a policy paused under former President Joe Biden: the detention of families who enter or live in the country illegally.
RAICES, a nonprofit organization serving families near San Antonio, Texas, told the Associated Press 14 families were recently held in a detention facility. Many of the families have children, some as young as 1 year old. According to RAICES, immigration authorities detained the families near both the Mexican and Canadian borders, with some families having spent just 20 days in the U.S., while others have been here for around 10 years.
Private contractors managing family detention centers
GEO Group and CoreCivic, two private contractors, manage the two facilities designated for family detention in Texas. These facilities, under contracts with ICE, will allow immigration officials to hold families.
DHS has not provided an official number of individuals deported under Trump’s plan to remove all people living in the U.S. illegally.
