ICE Withholds Congressionally Mandated Detention Data
In the midst of heated budget negotiations over immigration enforcement, ICE flouts Congress's prior mandate to publish timely detention data.
In the middle of a week of tense budget negotiations that hinge on funding for the Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is flouting Congress’s requirement that it produce detention data every two weeks.
Today is January 30, 2026. The last time ICE released data was on January 8—22 days ago, or three weeks ago. The data released at that time was current as of the day before, January 7, which is an admirable turnaround time from data extraction to production. On this schedule, ICE should have released new data last Thursday or Friday. Hopefully this is not the beginning of a new problem.
Generally, when people have asked me whether we can trust ICE’s detention data, I have said that there is no evidence that this administration is manipulating this data source and, moreover, that it has continued to produce it on schedule. I don’t create drama where there is none, and I don’t endorse criticisms (or praises) of any administration, Republican or Democratic, that I don't have evidence for.
But now that the agency is a week late, I’m getting concerned. If ICE stops publishing this data, not only will the American public lack any objective insight into the numbers on ICE arrests, detentions, and deportations, but ICE would also be sending a signal to Congress—in the midst of fraught funding debates today, no less—that the agency views Congress’s legal mandates as optional.
This is not a good look when funding for your agency is at stake.
Sounds like denial: "If you don't got anything good to report, you don't report nuthin' at all."
Gotta say, I like the gif.