New data released by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC) reveal a striking shift in U.S. immigration detention practices, raising serious questions about the administration’s claim that enforcement is focused on deporting the “worst of the worst.” For the first time, the actual number of individuals in ICE detention with any criminal conviction has fallen, even as the total detained population continues to rise. The figures suggest that immigration authorities are increasingly detaining people who have no criminal history at all—no convictions and, in many cases, not even pending charges.
According to ICE figures posted on September 25, 2025, during the most recent two-week reporting period in September, the total number of individuals held in ICE detention increased by 996. However, during the same period, the net number of detainees with any criminal conviction declined by 170. In contrast, the number of individuals detained without any criminal charge or conviction rose sharply by 1,016. TRAC notes that this pattern reflects a growing tendency by the administration to rely on detention with little apparent concern for whether individuals pose a public safety threat or have a clear legal basis for incarceration.
The broader enforcement picture also shows intensifying activity across arrests, detention, and removals. During this two-week period in September, ICE averaged 1,276 arrests per day, a level comparable to June but notably higher than arrest rates recorded in July and August. Daily removals were reported at 1,271, underscoring the scale of ongoing immigration enforcement operations even as the profile of those detained shifts away from individuals with criminal records.
TRAC has incorporated these latest ICE figures into its publicly available online tools at tracreports.org, allowing users to track immigration enforcement trends over time. Its “TRACmeters,” displayed at the top of the immigration section, provide continuously updated data on immigration arrests, the number of individuals in ICE custody, criminal immigration prosecutions, and the growing backlog and outcomes in Immigration Court. Each TRACmeter links to a “Quick Facts” page offering more detailed breakdowns and access to deeper datasets.
Additional insights from TRAC’s Detention Quick Facts tool further highlight the scale and character of current detention practices. As of September 21, 2025, ICE was holding 59,762 people in detention nationwide. Of these, 42,755—approximately 71.5 percent—had no criminal conviction. TRAC emphasizes that even among those who do have convictions, many were for minor offenses, including traffic violations, rather than serious crimes.
Geographically, detention remains heavily concentrated in certain states and facilities. Texas continues to house the largest number of ICE detainees during fiscal year 2025, according to data current as of September 15, 2025. During August 2025 alone, ICE arrested 28,308 individuals, while U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) accounted for 4,056 of the 32,364 people booked into ICE detention that month. At the facility level, the Adams County Detention Center in Natchez, Mississippi, held the highest average daily population so far in FY 2025, with an average of 2,171 detainees per day as of September.
The data also show the expanding role of ICE’s Alternatives to Detention (ATD) programs, which monitor individuals and families outside of physical custody. As of September 20, 2025, ATD programs were tracking 181,210 people nationwide. San Francisco’s ICE area office reported the highest number of individuals enrolled in ATD monitoring, reflecting a parallel system of supervision that now dwarfs the detained population.
Taken together, TRAC’s analysis of ICE’s own data challenges political rhetoric surrounding immigration enforcement. While official statements continue to emphasize public safety and the removal of dangerous criminals, the numbers increasingly point to a system that prioritizes volume over threat level—detaining and monitoring large numbers of people with no criminal history and deepening concerns among civil rights advocates about indiscriminate arrests and prolonged detention.