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U.S. immigration detention is filled to capacity at 47,600 detainees, Reuters reported citing a senior U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official.
The Trump administration is seeking more bed space in the detention facilities, according to the report.
The official, who requested anonymity as a condition of the call with reporters, said ICE was expanding its bed count with support from the U.S. Defense Department, U.S. Marshals Service and Bureau of Prisons.
ICE is currently funded to house an average of 41,500 detainees. The official said the agency was working with U.S. lawmakers to secure more detention funding.
U.S. President Donald Trump has vowed to deport record numbers of migrants, saying it is needed after high levels of illegal immigration under his predecessor, Joe Biden.
ICE has stepped up arrests since Trump took office on January 20, including of immigration violators with no other criminal charges or convictions.
From January 20-March 10, ICE made about 32,800 arrests, of whom 27% were alleged immigration violators with no other criminal charge or conviction, the ICE official said.
