Overview

• Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons testified that nine detainees have died in custody since January 20, 2025, prompting calls for greater transparency and accountability.
• ICE is detaining 52,000 individuals despite funding for only 41,500 beds, raising concerns about a potential budget shortfall.
• Lyons assured Congress that ICE will remain financially solvent through fiscal 2026 by reallocating funds from other federal agencies, such as FEMA and CISA.
• The agency aims to expand its detention capacity to 60,000 beds as part of the Trump administration’s broader goal of deporting one million people annually.
• Lawmakers criticized conditions in detention centers as inhumane and asserted their statutory authority to conduct unannounced inspections, challenging ICE’s procedural restrictions.