Number of People in Immigration Detention in the US Reaches an All-Time High With Almost 70,000

The number of people held in U.S. immigration detention has reached a record level, according to data released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, underscoring the scale of the Trump administration's expanded enforcement campaign.

As of Dec. 14, 2025, ICE was detaining more than 68,400 people nationwide, the highest figure ever recorded in the agency's biweekly data, according to an analysis by The Guardian.

The total surpasses a previous record set earlier this month. Based on ICE figures tracked by the newspaper, the administration has arrested more than 328,000 people and deported nearly 327,000 since January.

Despite repeated statements by the administration that enforcement efforts prioritize "the worst of the worst," immigrants with no criminal record continue to make up the largest share of those in detention, The Guardian reports. Being undocumented is a civil, not criminal, violation of U.S. law, and ICE data show that many detainees are held solely for immigration offenses such as unauthorized entry or overstaying a visa.

Government figures obtained through public records requests and reported by Axios in early December indicate that nearly 579,000 people have been arrested by the Department of Homeland Security since President Trump took office. Arrests accelerated after the administration raised internal daily arrest targets earlier this year.

DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin said on Dec. 3 that the daily average had climbed to about 1,800 arrests in recent weeks, though DHS has not published comprehensive enforcement data for the period.

Data cited by CBS News show a sharp increase in arrests of people with no criminal history, with the number of detainees without criminal charges or convictions rising more than 2,000% since the start of Trump's second term. As of mid-November, nearly half of all people in ICE custody had no criminal record in the United States.

"The new data confirms that the Trump administration isn't focused on legitimate public safety risks, but rather on hitting politically motivated arrest targets," said Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, a senior fellow at the American Immigration Council, in comments to Axios.

DHS has defended its approach, with McLaughlin saying the agency is targeting serious offenders and that arrest statistics may not fully capture criminal histories outside the United States.