ICE Enforcement Funded By $16B To Maintain 34K Detention Beds At A Cost Of $2.6B Through September

The U.S. House of Representatives approved $39 billion for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security budget that includes $16 billion for ICE enforcement.

By H. Nelson Goodson

January 22, 2014

Washington,  D.C. - Last Wednesday,  the U.S. House of Representatives approved a $39 billion budget for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which includes $16.8 billion for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE was funded through September 2014 to maintain approximately 34,000 detention beds.

ICE must raise their level of detention quotas and keep the beds filled. The new funding will represent the highest detention capacity in ICE's history. It will cost about $122 per day to hold an undocumented immigrant. 

The Obama administration has deported more than 2 million undocumented immigrants since, Obama was elected. ICE had deported about 400K per year. The new House funding will now exceed previous deportation quotas.

The minimum of detained days are based on the each case, which some undocumented immigrants are held for a few days to a week before they are removed or coerced to sign their voluntarily departure.