How Many Detainees and Why Is Capacity Being Stretched?

A record number of people are being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

And the conditions they’re reporting have been described as cruel and inhumane.Last month, 60,000 people were detained by ICE, breaking a record set by the previous Trump administration.

A Los Angeles Times analysis of public data found that more than a third of detainees have spent time in a dedicated facility that is over capacity.

And now, county jails and ICE field offices are being transformed to fill those gaps.

Jails held an average of about 10 percent of all detainees (7,100 people) each day in July, according to the Prison Policy Initiative.

So, what fallout is the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown having on ICE detention centers? What are the conditions in these centers like? And what legal options do detainees have?

Find more of our programs online. Listen to 1A sponsor-free by signing up for 1A+ at plus.npr.org/the1a. 

Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NPR Privacy Policy