ICE releases some migrant detainees as its detention facilities reach 109% capacity

quote:

---

Washington — U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is releasing some migrant detainees, in some cases dozens per day, as space in its detention system has exceeded maximum capacity amid a spike in arrests by the agency under President Trump, internal government statistics obtained by CBS News show.

On Tuesday morning, space inside ICE detention facilities was at 109% capacity, with the agency holding close to 42,000 migrant detainees, despite having, on paper, a 38,521-bed capacity in its network of for-profit prisons and county jails, according to the internal Department of Homeland Security data. More than half of those in ICE custody were initially arrested along the southern border, the figures show.

On Monday, ICE released roughly 160 migrants from its custody, the figures show, an indication that the Trump administration, faced with the same operational and legal challenges on immigration enforcement that have bedeviled Democratic and Republican presidents, is being forced to release some detainees. Those released can be fitted by ICE with ankle monitors, to track their movements.

In a statement to CBS News, ICE acknowledged that its "enhanced" operations have yielded "a significant number of arrests of criminal aliens that require greater detention capacity."

"We are exploring every solution including working with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and our state and local law enforcement partners, asking Congress for increased funding, and scrutinizing case files to quickly remove criminal aliens with executable final orders of removal from Department of Justice immigration judges," the agency said.

---