US immigration detention is filled to capacity at 47,600 detainees, a senior US Immigration and Customs Enforcement official said on a call with reporters on Wednesday, adding that the Trump administration was seeking more bed space.
The official, who requested anonymity as a condition of the call, said ICE was expanding its capacity with support from the US Defence Department, US Marshals Service and Bureau of Prisons.
ICE is currently funded to house an average of 41,500 detainees.
The official said ICE was working with US lawmakers to secure more funding for detention bed space.
US President Donald Trump, a Republican, has vowed to deport record numbers of migrants in the US illegally, saying it is needed after high levels of illegal immigration under his Democratic predecessor, Joe Biden.
ICE has stepped up arrests since Trump took office on January 20, including more arrests of immigrants with no criminal charges or convictions.
US immigration detention maxed out at 47,600 detainees, ICE official says
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Federal law enforcement agents led by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement prepare to conduct an arrest in Rex, south of Atlanta, Georgia, February 5, 2025. REUTERS/Carlos Barria/File Photo
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