How many immigrants does ICE detain?

 

How many people are in ICE detention?

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is at the center of a national conversation due to recent deportations and detentions. The agency, which was established in 2002 as division of the Department of Homeland Security, enforces US customs and trade laws. It also manages programs to identify, arrest, and remove people who are in the country unlawfully. How many immigrants does ICE detain, where do they come from, and where are they held? Here's what the data says: Between October 2014 and November 2024, ICE made 3.62 million detention book-ins, meaning physically transferring people to detention facilities. Book-ins were highest in 2019 at 510,850. They were at a 10-year low in 2020 — the first year of the pandemic — at 182,870.  Mexican citizens comprised the largest share of people booked (31.1%), followed by Guatemalans (17.1%) and Hondurans (12.8%).

There are 122 detainee holding centers nationwide, a quarter of which are in states along the US-Mexico border. The most populated centers include the Adams County Detention Center in Natchez, Mississippi (2,148 average daily detainees in February 2025); the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, Texas (1,666); and the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia (1,559).  Approximately 29.0% of detainees booked between October 2018 and November 2024 had a US criminal record. Last year, 43.8% of detainees with criminal records had been convicted of misdemeanors, 35.2% of felonies, and 17.0% of aggravated felonies.

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Drug prices now vs. the 1980s

Prescription drug prices have risen steadily since the 1980s — and faster than the cost of living. In 2024, drug prices are 5.5 times higher than in 1985, and they've increased three times faster than overall inflation. Which drug prices have changed the most over the decades?

Since 2002, prices for cardiovascular medications — most of which treat heart disease — have risen more than other drugs. A cardiovascular drug that cost $100 in 2002 would cost about $455 in 2025.  Insulin and antidiabetic drugs had the second-highest jump. A drug that cost $100 in 2002 would have cost $442 in 2025. However, insulin costs dropped 16% between 2023 and 2025, when the Inflation Reduction Act capped insulin prices for Medicare enrollees at $35 a month.  Both public and private health insurance now cover 85% of prescription drug costs, up from 8% in 2000 and 16% in 1970.  Private insurance plans negotiate prices with drug manufacturers and wholesalers. As of 2022, Medicare can do the same for select high-cost drugs without generic, FDA-approved alternatives for at least seven years.

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Data behind the news

Last Thursday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated plans for the department to cut 10,000 jobs. Here’s the background on HHS. (Want more articles like this? Sign up for the weekly Decoding DOGE newsletter.)    The Supreme Court recently upheld the Biden administration’s regulation of “ghost guns” in a 7-2 decision. The number of ghost guns sent to the ATF rose by more than 1,000% from 2017 to 2021.   Time to test yourself! Take the Weekly Fact Quiz.

One last fact

In 2024, the Department of Education received 4% of all federal funding ($268 billion), making it the sixth highest-funded federal agency.