Al Mayadeen English

  • Ar
  • Es
  • x
Al Mayadeen English

Slogan

  • News
    • Politics
    • Economy
    • Sports
    • Arts&Culture
    • Health
    • Miscellaneous
    • Technology
    • Environment
  • Articles
    • Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Blog
    • Features
  • Videos
    • NewsFeed
    • Video Features
    • Explainers
    • TV
    • Digital Series
  • Infographs
  • In Pictures
  • • LIVE
News
  • Politics
  • Economy
  • Sports
  • Arts&Culture
  • Health
  • Miscellaneous
  • Technology
  • Environment
Articles
  • Opinion
  • Analysis
  • Blog
  • Features
Videos
  • NewsFeed
  • Video Features
  • Explainers
  • TV
  • Digital Series
Infographs
In Pictures
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Asia-Pacific
  • Europe
  • Latin America
  • MENA
  • Palestine
  • US & Canada
BREAKING
Palestinian media: Israeli vehicles fire at eastern Gaza City.
Al-Qassam Brigades: We will hand over the body of one of the occupation prisoners that was exhumed today in the Gaza Strip at 9 pm Gaza time.
Al Mayadeen correspondent to southern Lebanon: One martyr and one wounded in the initial toll of an Israeli drone strike targeting the town of Al-Bayyad.
Local sources report that a car bomb explosion has targeted the General Security headquarters near the Baniyas Court in the Tartous countryside, western Syria
Israeli artillery strikes target Khan Younis, the Gaza Strip.
Palestinian media: IOF arrest leader Jamal al-Tawil, who was liberated as part of the prisoner exchange, from his home in al-Bireh.
Palestinian media: 'Israel' launches two airstrikes on eastern Khan Younis, Gaza.
Al Mayadeen’s correspondent in Gaza: Israeli occupation forces carry out demolitions in eastern Gaza City.
Venezuelan Foreign Ministry: The National Armed Forces will remain on alert and mobilized in the face of this extremely dangerous provocation.
Venezuelan Foreign Ministry: This is not a defense exercise, but rather a military aggression aimed at turning the Caribbean into a space for violence and US hegemony.

Trump's immigration crackdown pushes detentions to record highs

  • By Al Mayadeen English
  • Source: News websites
  • 24 Aug 2025 17:10
  • 3 Shares
4 Min Read

Under Donald Trump’s leadership, immigration detentions in the United States have surged to unprecedented levels, with official counts topping 60,000.

Listen
  • x
  • US President Donald Trump salutes at a campaign rally at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, Friday, October 11, 2024, in Aurora, Colorado (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
    US President Donald Trump salutes at a campaign rally at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center, Friday, October 11, 2024, in Aurora, Colorado (AP)

The number of immigrants held in detention across the United States has soared by over 50% since US President Donald Trump took office, reaching a historic high. Official data indicate that more than 60,000 individuals are now in long-term immigration detention, a significant increase from the approximately 39,000 held at the end of the Biden administration.

This sharp rise reflects Trump’s increasingly aggressive immigration crackdown, a central focus of his administration's policies aimed at detaining and deporting undocumented individuals.

However, the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) tally omits thousands of detainees held in unofficial or short-term facilities, as per an Axios review. These include military bases, temporary holding rooms, and new centers such as the controversial “Alligator Alcatraz” facility in Ochopee, Florida.

While the DHS count shows a record 60,000 in custody as of August 10, this does not account for immigrants detained in facilities not officially designated for long-term detention, leading experts to warn of serious undercounting.

“It’s evident that the numbers being published by ICE about people held in long-term residential facilities is severely undercounting the number of people who are in ICE custody at any given moment,” said Amelia Dagen of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights.

Read more: Trump expands visa vetting, halts foreign trucker permits

Expanding detention infrastructure nationwide

Related News

US cargo plane lands in Syria base as IOF escalate Quneitra breaches

Nearly 3,800 US flights disrupted amid ongoing government shutdown

The Trump administration continues to expand detention infrastructure nationwide. Florida's "Alligator Alcatraz" held around 700 detainees shortly after opening in July, though it was ordered to stop accepting migrants following a federal court ruling. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced plans to appeal the decision.

Military installations like Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas, are being repurposed to detain immigrants. Fort Bliss is expected to hold up to 1,000 people. However, detainees in such facilities are not included in DHS’ official records. ICE confirmed that “Alligator Alcatraz” is not technically an ICE facility, although it houses ICE detainees.

Temporary holding rooms in field offices and federal buildings also continue to hold hundreds of migrants for extended periods, often without being counted in official figures.

Legal and human rights concerns mount

Human rights organizations and legal advocates warn that the lack of transparency complicates efforts to locate and assist detainees. “Not having accurate and timely information from the ICE detainee locator makes it incredibly difficult for families and advocates and legal counsel to be able to locate and communicate with people who are detained,” said Eunice Cho of the ACLU.

Some experts have compared unaccounted detention sites to “black sites", due to the restricted access to legal counsel and oversight.

“The real bottlenecks are the courts,” said Michael Lukens of the Amica Center. “By removing someone’s ability to have access to counsel, you remove that bottleneck.”

What's next for Trump’s immigration policies?

As Trump's immigration policies continue to intensify, private contractors such as CoreCivic and the Geo Group anticipate further business with ICE. States like Indiana, Nebraska, and Louisiana have announced plans to build facilities similar to "Alligator Alcatraz."

According to the Prison Policy Initiative, the trend reflects a calculated effort by the Trump administration to expand the reach and capacity of the immigration detention system.

"The Trump administration has shown that it is willing to pull out basically all the stops to increase the detention and deportation of undocumented people," said Wanda Bertram of PPI.

Read more: The nonprofit fueling ICE's wire transfer surveillance

  • Donald Trump
  • Trump
  • immigrants
  • Immigration Policies
  • immigration crackdown
  • US
  • Washington
  • United States
  • donald trump immigration
  • Trump immigration policy

Most Read

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

'Israel’s Digital Iron Dome: Weaponizing the web against Palestine

  • Technology
  • 24 Oct 2025
Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

Arab League chief exposes secret US deal shielding 'Israel’s' nukes

  • Politics
  • 27 Oct 2025
Abu Hamza, the spokesperson for the Al-Quds Brigades, during a speech televised on October 22, 2025 (Al-Quds Brigades Military Media)

Al-Quds Brigades' Abu Hamza mourns leaders, vows continued resistance

  • Politics
  • 22 Oct 2025
US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

US missionary kidnapped in Niger capital, suspected taken toward Mali

  • Africa
  • 23 Oct 2025

Coverage

All
War on Gaza

Read Next

All
Delta Air Lines flight lands at Harry Reid International Airport, Wednesday, April 9, 2025, in Las Vegas (AP)
Politics

Nearly 3,800 US flights disrupted amid ongoing government shutdown

FILE - The Amazon logo is pictured at the Amazon Robotic Sorting Fulfillment Center in Madison County, Miss., Aug. 11, 2022. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis, File)
Economy

Amazon to cut 30,000 jobs in largest layoff in company history

Eurofighter Typhoon Spain's Air Force fighter jets fly above the military parade marking 'Día de la Hispanidad', or Hispanic Day, in Madrid, Spain, Sunday, Oct. 12, 2025. (AP)
Politics

UK sells 20 Eurofighter jets to Türkiye in £8bn defense agreement

Smoke billows after drone strikes by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) targeted the northern port in the Red Sea city of Port Sudan, Sudan, May 6, 2025 (AP)
Politics

RSF tightens El Fasher siege as Sudan risks fragmentation: Reuters

Al Mayadeen English

Al Mayadeen is an Arab Independent Media Satellite Channel.

All Rights Reserved

  • x
  • Privacy Policy
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Authors
Android
iOS