Over 41,000 individuals in US immigration detention, 55 per cent without criminal record

The North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) has expressed concerns over the latest immigration detention data provided by Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC). As of February 9, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) held 41,169 individuals in detention facilities across the United States.

Satnam Singh Chahal, executive director of NAPA, said a key finding from the data reveals that 22,538 detainees, comprising 54.7 per cent of those in ICE custody, have no criminal record. Many others have been detained for minor offenses, including traffic violations, raising concerns about the broad use of detention for non-violent and low-level infractions.

Texas has been identified as the state housing the highest number of ICE detainees during fiscal year 2025. ICE and Customs and Border Protection (CBP) collectively arrested 21,959 individuals in January 2025 alone. The Adams County Detention Centre in Natchez, Mississippi, has emerged as the largest detention facility for ICE detainees in fiscal year 2025.

ICE’s Alternatives to Detention (ATD) programmes are currently monitoring 188,304 families and single individuals. The San Francisco area office oversees the highest number of individuals enrolled in ATD monitoring programmes.

Chahal emphasised the importance of transparency and fair treatment in immigration enforcement. He urged policymakers to re-evaluate the effectiveness and necessity of mass detention, particularly for individuals with no criminal history or only minor infractions.

He noted that the number of Indian detainees among the overall detainees is not yet available. However, he highlighted the need for detention centres to play a constructive role in alleviating the predicament of detainees in an immigration crisis.