The number of illegal immigrants in federal detention centers has skyrocketed by 50% since President Donald Trump returned to office, according to government data obtained by Axios.
More than 60,000 migrants are currently being held in long-term ICE facilities — up from roughly 39,000 reported during the Biden administration. And this figure does not even include detainees held in newly opened centers such as the controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” in Florida’s Everglades.
Judicial and Political Battle
U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams, an Obama appointee, ordered “Alligator Alcatraz” to be shut down on environmental grounds. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis immediately pushed back, vowing to fight the ruling and keep the facility open.
Expansion Across the Country
Over the past two months, the Trump administration has dramatically expanded ICE detention capacity:
Camp Atterbury (Indiana) – 34,000-acre National Guard base converted to hold detainees.
Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst (New Jersey) – 42,000-acre military base now set up as a holding facility.
Fort Bliss (Texas) – $1.2 billion contract awarded to build the largest detention center in U.S. history, with capacity for 5,000 migrants.
Biden-Era Concerns
Just before leaving office, the Biden administration quietly introduced a controversial ICE Portal app in New York City that allowed migrants to check in remotely instead of in-person. Critics argued the app could make it easier for migrants to evade federal authorities, citing glitches and reliability issues.
Record Preservation Dispute
House Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan had already demanded that Biden’s top officials preserve all records related to immigration enforcement, fearing they might destroy evidence of lenient border policies before Trump took over.
The Bigger Picture
As detention centers fill to record levels, Trump’s crackdown signals the most aggressive shift in U.S. immigration enforcement in decades. Supporters hail it as long-overdue accountability, while critics warn of humanitarian and environmental crises ahead.
