US immigration prison population reaches highest levels under Biden administration

Nearly 38,500 immigrants are being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers accross the United States, the highest number ever recorded under President Joe Biden’s administration, according to a report released Friday by Syracuse University in New York.

The number of migrants detained by ICE has increased in recent months. In Dec. 3, the agency counted 36,755 detained immigrants, a figure that increased by 5% to 38,498 detainees on Jan. 28, 2024, according to data from immigration authorities.

ICE detention centers in Texas have the highest average daily population since the beggining of the 2024 fiscal year on Oct. 1, according to the report by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) at Syracuse University. The Family Residential Center in Dilley holds most immigrants, with an average of 1,810 people per day, as does Pearsall Jail, which houses 1,657 foreigners per day. 67.5% of ICE detainees (25,972) currently have no criminal record. Since May 12, 2023, the Biden administration has deported or returned more than half a million immigrants, the majority of whom crossed the southwest border.

The number recorded during the current administration surpasses that of former President Donald Trump’s administration (2017 – 2021). EFE amv/dgp/mcd