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How many people are in ICE detention?

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is at the center of a national conversation due to recent deportations and detentions. The agency, which was established in 2002 as division of the [Department of Homeland Security]([link removed]), enforces US customs and trade laws. It also manages programs to identify, arrest, and remove people who are in the country unlawfully. [How many immigrants does ICE detain]([link removed]), where do they come from, and where are they held? Here's what the data says:

- Between October 2014 and November 2024, ICE made 3.62 million detention book-ins, meaning physically transferring people to detention facilities. Book-ins were highest in 2019 at 510,850. They were at a 10-year low in 2020 — the first year of the pandemic — at 182,870. 

- Mexican citizens comprised the largest share of people booked (31.1%), followed by Guatemalans (17.1%) and Hondurans (12.8%).  

[Map of ICE detention centers]([link removed])

- There are 122 detainee holding centers nationwide, a quarter of which are in states along the US-Mexico border. The most populated centers include the Adams County Detention Center in Natchez, Mississippi (2,148 average daily detainees in February 2025); the South Texas ICE Processing Center in Pearsall, Texas (1,666); and the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia (1,559). 

- Approximately 29.0% of detainees booked between October 2018 and November 2024 had a US criminal record. Last year, 43.8% of detainees with criminal records had been convicted of misdemeanors, 35.2% of felonies, and 17.0% of aggravated felonies.  

[More about ICE]([link removed])

Drug prices now vs. the 1980s 

Prescription drug prices have risen steadily since the 1980s — and faster than the cost of living. In 2024, drug prices are 5.5 times higher than in 1985, and they've increased three times faster than overall inflation. [Which drug prices have changed the most]([link removed]) over the decades? 

[Producer Price Index for pharmaceuticals vs. all commodities]([link removed])

- Since 2002, prices for cardiovascular medications — most of which treat heart disease — have risen more than other drugs. A cardiovascular drug that cost $100 in 2002 would cost about $455 in 2025. 

- Insulin and antidiabetic drugs had the second-highest jump. A drug that cost $100 in 2002 would have cost $442 in 2025. However, insulin costs dropped 16% between 2023 and 2025, when the Inflation Reduction Act capped insulin prices for Medicare enrollees at $35 a month. 

- Both public and private health insurance now cover 85% of prescription drug costs, up from 8% in 2000 and 16% in 1970. 

- Private insurance plans negotiate prices with drug manufacturers and wholesalers. As of 2022, Medicare can do the same for select high-cost drugs without generic, FDA-approved alternatives for at least seven years. 

[Read more]([link removed])

Data behind the news

Last Thursday, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. stated plans for the department to cut 10,000 jobs. Here’s the [background on HHS]([link removed]). (Want more articles like this? [Sign up for the weekly Decoding DOGE newsletter]([link removed]).) 
 
The Supreme Court recently upheld the Biden administration’s regulation of “ghost guns” in a 7-2 decision. The number of ghost guns sent to the ATF rose by [more than 1,000%]([link removed]) from 2017 to 2021.
 
Time to test yourself! Take the [Weekly Fact Quiz]([link removed]).  

One last fact

[The Education Department funding]([link removed])

 In 2024, [the Department of Education]([link removed]) received 4% of all federal funding ($268 billion), making it the sixth highest-funded federal agency. 

 

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