
1. What deportation records has ICE set in recent weeks?
ICE is now deporting more than 1,450 people per day and booking in migrants at a rate exceeding 1,500 per day, both record-breaking paces according to agency data covering Jan. 8-25. The agency also reached a new milestone with more than 70,000 migrants in detention as of January 25, another all-time high.
2. How do these numbers compare to last year?
The current figures represent dramatic increases from early 2025. ICE is now operating at 5 times the book-in rate from this time last year (when it averaged fewer than 300 per day) and has more than doubled its deportation rate from the roughly 630 removals per day recorded in early 2025. Detention numbers have nearly doubled from 39,328 beds occupied a year ago to over 70,766 now.
3. Where are most of these detained migrants being arrested?
The vast majority, 84%, of current detainees were arrested by ICE in the interior of the United States, with only 16% coming from Customs and Border Protection at the border. This represents a significant shift from last year, when 62% of cases involved CBP arrests at the border, reflecting the current calm conditions along the border.
SEE ALSO: ICE sets new record pace for deportations
4. How has ICE increased its capacity to handle this surge?
Congress provided tens of billions of dollars to ICE last summer, enabling the agency to hire additional officers and rent more detention bed space. Officials indicate they should eventually be able to maintain detention capacity exceeding 100,000 beds, well above the current 70,766 occupied beds.
5. What accounts for the shift from border to interior enforcement?
Given the calm conditions at the border, almost all current removals involve migrants who were arrested inside the United States rather than at the border. This marks a strategic shift in enforcement priorities, with interior arrests now comprising 84% of detention cases, compared to just 38% last year.
Read more: ICE sets new record pace for deportations
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