Since 2003, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) division of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been responsible for enforcing federal laws governing customs, trade, and immigration.
ICE was created by the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which was passed after 9/11. This act created the DHS and reorganized existing agencies, merging the US Customs Service (formerly under the Treasury Department) and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (formerly under the Justice Department) to form ICE.
ICE’s mission is to preserve American security and public safety, mainly within US borders, by enforcing immigration laws. This primarily involves detaining, deporting, and convicting unauthorized immigrants. It also assists international investigations into criminal organizations and terrorist networks that threaten or seek to exploit US customs and immigration laws. It operates with a staff of over 20,000 across 400+ global offices and an annual budget of around $8 billion.
How many immigrants does ICE detain per year?
Between October 2014 and November 2024, ICE made approximately 3.62 million detention book-ins — the physical transfer of a person to a detention facility — of people identified as unauthorized immigrants.
In the last decade, total book-ins peaked in 2019, at 510,850, and were lowest in 2020, at 182,870. Between 2014 and 2024, ICE averaged 324,900 book-ins a year.
Mexican citizens were the biggest group of people booked in between October 2014 and November 2024: they accounted for 31.1% of detainees, or 1,124,040 people. The next-largest groups were Guatemalans (17.1%) and Hondurans (12.8%).
According to ICE data, approximately 29.0% of all detainees booked in between October 2018 and November 2024, had a criminal record in the US.
In 2024, 43.8% of detainees with criminal records had been convicted of misdemeanors, 35.2% of felonies, and 17.0% of aggravated felonies. The remaining 4.0% were convicted either of crimes falling under other categories or of unknown categorization.
Who can ICE detain?
Per the Immigration and Nationality Act, ICE detentions fall into two categories: discretionary and mandatory. ICE has discretionary authority to detain people awaiting decisions on their removal from the US but can choose to release them on a minimum $1,500 bond or under supervision if they are not considered flight or security risks. ICE can also choose to assign these detainees to an “Alt to Detention” program — a supervised release program that includes technological monitoring like GPS tracking, allowing people to remain in their homes and communities while awaiting a decision on their status — to ensure they appear at their hearings.
Mandatory detention applies to unauthorized immigrants who have committed serious crimes, such as those involving terrorism or “moral turpitude” (defined as conduct that shocks the public conscience as being inherently base, vile, or depraved). These individuals go into detention once they’re released from criminal custody and are generally not eligible for bond release, although they can request that an immigration judge review whether they truly fall into a mandatory detention category.
Where does ICE hold people who crossed a US border illegally?
According to ICE detention center management data, detainees are held 122 different holding centers across the US, a quarter of which were in states along the US-Mexico border; it also has access to additional available facilities that were empty at the time of writing. Some facilities are operated directly by ICE, while others are run by local government or independent contractors.
The centers holding the most people include:
- The Adams County Detention Center in Natchez, Mississippi (2,148 average daily detainees)
- The South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, Texas (1,666)
- The Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia (1,559)
- The Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana (1,491)
- The Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego (1,391)
What are ICE’s detention guidelines?
Detention facilities follow strict guidelines, including National Detention Standards and Performance-Based National Detention Standards, to ensure the safety, security, order, and care of detainees. These guidelines also outline standards for detainee activities (such as religious practices, recreation, telephone access, and visitation), justice (including access to law libraries and legal material), and staff management.
ICE detention policies are designed to ensure detainees’ presence for immigration proceedings. Someone who isn’t considered a flight risk or a threat to public safety may be released, especially if they also have extenuating circumstances like health issues or family responsibilities.
There are specific detention standards for families, but ICE stopped housing families by December 2021. Instead, ICE collaborates with US Customs and Border Protection to leverage alternatives to detention. The Department of Health and Human Services takes unaccompanied children, following specific legal guidelines for their care.
How many immigrants does ICE deport? Where are they from?
Between October 2014 and November 2024, ICE returned about 2.32 million book-ins to their country of citizenship.
Removals and returns were highest in 2014 (315,940) and lowest in 2021 (59,010); fiscal years 2014 through 2024 averages about 206,565 a year. So far in FY 2025, (October 2024 to November 2024), ICE has facilitated 52,220 removals.
As with detentions, the majority of those removed or returned in the past decade were Mexican citizens, at 51.8% of all ICE removals and returns, or 1.20 million people. The next largest groups were again Guatemalans (17.2%) and Hondurans (12.1%).
Those who can’t return to their country of origin due to natural disasters, ongoing armed conflict, or “other extraordinary temporary conditions,” may be granted temporary protected status until safe passage is an option. This status allows people to remain in the US rather than being sent into a dangerous situation, but doesn’t necessarily lead to lawful permanent residency or grant any other legal immigration status.
Citizens of 17 countries are currently designated for temporary protected status, including Afghanistan and Ukraine.
Where does this data come from?
This data comes from the Office of Homeland Security Statistics Immigration Enforcement and Legal Processes Monthly Tables dataset, which includes ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations by citizenship, criminality, and initial arresting agency. Additionally, the information for ICE detention facilities comes from the organization’s Detention Management page.
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Page sources and methodology
All of the data on the page was sourced directly from government agencies. The analysis and final review was performed by USAFacts.
Office of Homeland Security Statistics
Immigration Enforcement and Legal Processes Monthly Tables
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Detention Management
