Texas Holds More Than One in Four Immigrants Detained by ICE, With Facilities Overflowing Despite Falling Border Crossings

More than one in four immigrants detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) are locked up in Texas facilities, according to a recent analysis by the Houston Chronicle. Federal data shows that as of April 4, about 18,000 people were held in Texas detention centers, representing 27 percent of the approximately 66,000 detainees nationwide. This figure remains alarmingly high despite a drop from the record 71,000 detainees seen earlier this year.

Texas has long been a focal point for the Trump administration’s aggressive immigration enforcement, and the data underscores how the state continues to bear the brunt of ICE’s harsh policies. The Houston area alone houses thousands of detainees across four main facilities. The Montgomery Processing Center in Conroe averaged about 1,230 detainees daily, while the Joe Corley Processing Center, also in Conroe, held roughly 953. Both centers have populations exceeding their pre-COVID-19 levels from 2019.

Other Houston-area facilities include the IAH Polk adult detention center in Livingston, with an average daily population of 870, and the Houston Contract Detention Facility housing 846 detainees. Meanwhile, in El Paso, the Camp East Montana facility on the Fort Bliss U.S. Army base stands as the largest detention center in Texas and the entire country, holding about 2,500 people daily. Since opening in August 2025, Camp East Montana has been marred by allegations of poor oversight and management, including the deaths of three detainees.

The Chronicle’s analysis is based on ICE’s biweekly detention data releases covering fiscal year 2019 through April 4, 2026. While ICE provides average daily populations and demographic breakdowns, the agency has not responded to questions about the reliability of its data. Geographic mapping of these facilities was accomplished by cross-referencing ICE’s lists with geocoded data from the Vera Institute of Justice.

These detention numbers also include immigrants transferred to Texas from other states, reflecting a broader trend of expanding the state’s role in the federal immigration enforcement apparatus. The overcrowding and poor conditions documented at these centers raise urgent questions about the human cost of the administration’s immigration policies and the lack of accountability for abuses.

Texas’ outsized share of the nation’s immigrant detention population is a stark reminder that the state remains ground zero for ICE’s detention machine. The ongoing expansion and overcrowding of these facilities, coupled with reports of deaths and mistreatment, demand immediate scrutiny and action from advocates, lawmakers, and the public alike. The Trump administration’s immigration crackdown is not just a policy—it is a human rights crisis unfolding in plain sight.