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 have no doubt this is costing the economy millions of dollars. Most of these people are working and spending and paying sales and fuel taxes, and those that are trying to become citizens would be paying income taxes.
But hey, CoreCivic and the GEO Group are raking in the cash, and that’s all that matters.
/s