(NewsNation) — Data from the Department of Homeland Security indicates that nearly 30% of those in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody have criminal convictions.
In addition, just over 33% have a final order of removal.
In the wake of President Donald Trump’s actions to make good on campaign promises of mass deportations, there are currently more than 41,000 people in ICE custody. Most are housed in an area under the purview of the New Orleans field office, which has the most beds in the system, where roughly 9,400 are in custody.
While the average length of custody is 90 days, some have been in custody for longer.
The administration has started releasing deportation flights to other countries, including Colombia, Mexico and India. Newly confirmed Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the administration has been in talks with El Salvador about the country accepting deportees of different nationalities.
ICE Acting Director Tom Homan, whom the administration has placed in charge of the effort, says congressional funding is needed for more beds but that the agency is doing what it can with the resources available.
Recently, the Trump administration announced a plan to house people flagged for deportation at Guantanamo Bay. The facility, infamous for its use to indefinitely detain people during the war on terror, would be able to house 30,000 immigrants who have been marked for deportation.
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