ICE detainees hit all-time high

Federal immigration authorities detained more than 68,400 people as of Dec. 14, marking the highest number ever recorded, according to data published by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

State of play: Detention facilities now hold unprecedented numbers under the Trump administration’s expanded operations, with total apprehensions exceeding 328,000 and removals reaching nearly 327,000 this year, according to analysis by The Guardian.

However, The Rebel Yellow reported that as of late September, the majority of those detained, or 46% of 59,762 individuals, face neither criminal convictions nor pending charges, contradicting official claims of focusing on serious offenders. This pattern has been especially pronounced in high-profile federal sweeps across Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington D.C. and Massachusetts. In these cities, agents have apprehended people at job sites, at government offices where they appeared for visa appointments and in areas surrounding schools, with over half of those arrested having no prior criminal record.

What this means: For Asian American communities, the shift in detention patterns represents a fundamental change in who faces arrest. Students, green card applicants and long-term residents now find themselves at risk regardless of legal compliance. Collateral arrests, or the detention of individuals not initially targeted by immigration operations, have expanded significantly, according to the data. This means even bystanders present during raids on family members or neighbors can be apprehended.

The big picture: This expansion marks a break from past practices of transferring immigrants from local custody after completing sentences for actual crimes. That shift accelerated following a September Supreme Court decision that authorized immigration officers to factor in race and ethnicity when selecting individuals to stop and question on the street. Meanwhile, operations branded with names like “Patriot 2.0” and conducted by agents in tactical gear reflect a strategy emphasizing mass deportations rather than public safety priorities.