The number of people held in custody by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has reached a new record.
In fact, ICE has surpassed the 70-detainee mark for the first time in the agency's 23-year history of deportations, internal Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data shows.
As of Thursday, ICE was holding about 73 people across the United States facing deportation, a higher number than ever before and an 84 percent increase compared to the same period in 2025, when the number of detainees was under 40, according to internal statistical data obtained by CBS News.
The Trump administration aimed to hold over 100 detainees at any one time as part of its campaign for mass deportations.
Around 67 of the detainees are single adults, while 6000 are families with minor children.
ICE detains people for immigration violations and crimes, including those with criminal convictions.
About 47 percent of detainees have criminal charges or convictions; the rest are only civil violators of immigration law.
The group without a criminal history has seen the fastest growth in recent months.
The growth was enabled by extraordinary funding of $45 billion and capacity expansion, including the use of military bases like Fort Bliss. /Telegraph/
