Immigration and Customs Enforcement is detaining more than 52,000 immigrants in jails around the country, officials said Monday, an apparent all-time record as the Trump administration contends with a surge of migrants at the southern border.
As of Monday, ICE was holding 52,398 migrants, of which 998 are family units, an agency official told BuzzFeed News. The number represents a significant population spike from just two weeks ago when ICE was holding more than 49,000 migrants.
A former senior ICE official told BuzzFeed News the figures would continue to hamper a system already overwhelmed.
Trump Admin Reportedly Planned Mass Arrests of Migrants Opposed by Purged DHS Officials