The number of immigrants detained in the United States has reached an alarming high of more than 65,000, marking a significant increase since the inauguration of former President Donald Trump. The surge reflects the ongoing efforts by the current administration to enforce immigration laws more stringently, with a notable shift towards detaining individuals while pursuing deportation.
Philadelphia immigration attorney Jonah Eaton remarked on the current climate, stating, “They are dead serious about moving as many people out of the country as possible, and keeping them detained while they do it.” This sentiment captures the urgency felt by advocates and legal representatives as they witness a system increasingly focused on detention rather than release.
A small group of protesters and faith leaders recently held a prayer vigil near the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Philipsburg, Pennsylvania, voicing their opposition to the for-profit prison corporation, GEO Group, which operates this ICE detention facility. Their gathering highlights the growing concern among community activists regarding the implications of such detention practices.
Since Trump took office in January 2017, the number of individuals in federal detention facilities has risen dramatically. The current count of 65,135 detainees represents a two-thirds increase from the 39,238 individuals held at the time of his inauguration. This increase has shattered the previously noteworthy threshold of 60,000, a figure that was briefly surpassed in August but then fell back.
While the Trump administration has emphasized its focus on removing criminal immigrants, data consistently shows that 74% of those in detention have no criminal convictions. Cris Ramon, an independent immigration consultant in Washington, D.C., expressed concern about the future, asking, “What’s going to be the ceiling for this? If the goal is to remove as many people as possible, they’re going to be leaning on the detention centers to be first and foremost a staging ground.”
The current immigration enforcement strategy has shifted significantly. Today, 81% of detained individuals were arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), compared to 38% when Trump assumed office. The administration has expanded its operations to include large-scale arrests in major cities, further increasing the detention population.
The ICE facilities are not limited to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center. They include several other detention locations across the country, including facilities in New Jersey and other states. This year, ICE has announced plans to expand its capacity, with proposals for additional facilities to accommodate the increasing number of detainees.
Many individuals in detention are subject to “mandatory detention,” which prevents them from seeking release on bond. Following a policy change announced by the administration in summer 2023, advocates have raised alarms over the implications of such restrictions. According to the National Immigration Law Center, the current administration has created conditions where migrants have “almost no way out of detention other than death or deportation.”
The scope of immigration detention has expanded to include not only those with criminal records but also green-card applicants, asylum seekers, and individuals with pending legal cases. This broadening of criteria has raised serious ethical and legal concerns, particularly as immigration detention is civil in nature and not intended as a punitive measure.
By the time President Biden assumed office in January 2021, there were approximately 14,195 individuals in immigration detention. The figure more than doubled during his term, eventually surpassing 39,000. Communications director for the Detention Watch Network, Carly Pérez Fernández, described the new detention numbers as “a grim reminder” of a broader strategy that targets individuals based on their appearance and employment, destabilizing communities and separating families.
The impact of this detention surge is felt nationwide. According to the Vera Institute of Justice, ICE holds detainees in facilities across all 50 states, as well as in locations such as Guantanamo Bay, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As the numbers continue to rise, the need for effective housing solutions becomes increasingly pressing.
The current trajectory of immigration detention raises critical questions about the principles underlying the U.S. immigration system, particularly regarding the treatment of individuals awaiting legal proceedings or deportation. As the situation evolves, the implications for detainees and their families remain dire, necessitating ongoing scrutiny and advocacy from legal experts and community leaders alike.
