As of March 16, 2025, ICE detention facilities in the U.S. are at capacity, holding around 47,600 detainees, according to a Reuters report.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

Capacity Issues:According to The Guardian, ICE facilities are at 109% capacity. (And a Federal Judge stuck it in Texas’s Butt for Prison Overcrowding in the 1970s but I guess it’s okay now) housing nearly 42,000 undocumented migrants despite only having about 38,000 beds.
Detention Numbers:The number of people in immigration detention reached a low of around 15,000 in January 2021, but has since increased.
Recent Arrests:In February 2025, the U.S. saw more immigration arrests than any other month, with ICE officials arresting and placing increasing numbers in detention.
Texas as a Focus:Texas is the state with the largest number of immigrant detainees in the country.
Backlog in Immigration Courts:Immigration courts are facing a backlog of 3.6 million cases, and some pending cases may not be heard for years.
ICE Priorities:ICE continues to prioritize its enforcement resources by arresting noncitizens with criminal convictions or pending charges.
Detainees with Criminal Convictions:Over 81,312 (71.7%) of the 113,431 arrests in FY 2024 were of noncitizens with criminal convictions or pending charges.
Detainees with Court Appearances:At least 16,000 current ICE detainees have notices to appear in court, meaning they are waiting for a court date.

As of late February 2025, Texas held 12,186 undocumented immigrants in its 21 detention facilities, the most in any state.

Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

Texas’s Role:Texas is known as the “epicenter” for immigration detention in the United States, with a large number of detention facilities and a high number of detainees.
Detention Facilities:Texas has 21 detention facilities that hold immigrants.
Undocumented Immigrants:As of late February 2025, these facilities held 12,186 undocumented immigrants, the highest number in any state.
Other States:Louisiana, California, Georgia and Arizona also have a significant number of people in U.S. immigration detention.
Specific Facilities:The South Texas Family Residential Center in Dilley, Texas, has held the largest number of ICE detainees, averaging 1,784 per day in Fiscal Year 2024.
ICE Detainers:A Fox News report says one in 10 inmates in Harris County, Texas, have ICE detainers.
Harris County Jail:The Harris County Jail in Texas currently holds more than 9,500 inmates, and over 1,100 of them are migrants targeted for deportation.

The statement highlights the distinction between immigration charges and criminal charges. Here’s a breakdown of the differences:

Nature of Offenses:

Civil Offenses: Immigration charges are categorized as civil offenses. This means they pertain to violations of immigration law rather than criminal law. Civil offenses typically involve disputes between individuals and the state regarding rights, obligations, and legal status.
Criminal Charges: Criminal charges involve violations of criminal law, which are considered offenses against the state or public. They typically can result in penalties such as imprisonment, fines, or community service.

Legal Protections:

Fewer Protections for Civil Offenses: Individuals charged with immigration offenses do not have the same legal protections as those facing criminal charges. For instance, in criminal cases, defendants have the right to a jury trial, the right to an attorney, protection against self-incrimination, and other due process rights.
More Protections for Criminal Offenses: Those facing criminal charges generally have a broader set of constitutional protections to ensure fair treatment in the legal process.

In summary, immigration charges are civil in nature and lack the same procedural safeguards and protections afforded to individuals charged with criminal offenses.

https://www.texastribune.org/2025/03/14/texas-immigration-migrant-detention-centers/

Three exerts-

No aspect of immigration detention draws as much condemnation as holding children.

The Trump administration resumed the practice last week when it sent 12 to 15 families to the center in Karnes, according to lawyers who began communicating with detainees this week.

“It’s not just folks who recently arrived and are being put through expedited removal,” Hidalgo said. “It seems like the intent is more punitive, which runs exactly against the whole notion that immigration detention isn’t [the same as criminal incarceration] … Immigration detention is supposed to be civil detention — if there really is such a thing — and it can’t be punitive for deterrence.”

“Hey little boys and girls, can you say

M E X I C A N?”

Trump invokes 18th century law to speed deportations, judge stalls it hours later

A federal judge barred the Trump administration Saturday from carrying out deportations under a sweeping 18th century law that the president invoked just hours earlier to speed removal of Venezuelan gang members from the United States. The Alien Enemies Act of 1798 has only ever been used three times before, all during wars.