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.
There’s no way these people are being treated humanely. It takes time to establish the infrastructure, train new staff, and do all the other things necessary to expand this much and still treat people humanely.
The conditions must be breaking so many laws, and most of these people haven’t been charged with a crime, right?