SAN DIEGO (Border Report) — A high-ranking official with Immigration and Customs Enforcement says the agency has run out of money to detain and house more unlawful migrants for the time being, according to Reuters.
The official, who wanted to remain anonymous, says ICE has “maxed out” at 47,600 detainees and can’t go after any more people until it finds additional funding and bed space.
The source told Reuters that ICE is trying to expand its operations with support from the U.S. Defense Department, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Prisons.
The published report says ICE is also working with U.S. lawmakers to secure more money for detentions.
Last December, border czar Tom Homan said they would need at least 100,000 beds to support mass deportations.
According to Reuters, ICE has ramped up arrests since Trump took office on Jan. 20.
Under the Trump administration, 32,800 arrests have been made, but more than a quarter of the people arrested were migrants who had no prior arrests or criminal convictions.
Statistics show that for all of fiscal year 2024, ICE made 113,400 total arrests.
Agency figures also show deportations under the Trump administration are below what they were under President Biden when a higher number of migrants were illegally crossing into U.S. and getting arrested. However, ICE officials under Trump say the Biden administration counted people who were processed and released as arrests and accused the Biden White House of inflating ICE arrests numbers.
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