Detention of Illegal Immigrants in the United States
The number of illegal immigrants being deported from the United States is on the rise. In 2009, the U.S. government detained around 380,000 people throughout 350 immigration facilities around the country. According to recent reports issued by the Department of Homeland Security, in 2010, the number of illegal immigrants deported from the United States reached a record high at around 400,000. Around the country, the subject of illegal immigration and deportation has become a hot topic of debate and controversy. In learning more about this issue, it is important to understand a few basic facts regarding deportation of illegal immigrants in the United States. Immigrants in detention include families, which may include undocumented as well as documented immigrants. It is not actually a crime to be in violation of immigration laws. It is a civil violation. Immigrants who are in violation of immigration laws must go through a process to determine whether they are eligible to remain in the United States. The Department of Homeland Security, DHS, has responsibility for detaining immigrants. The average cost for detaining an immigrant is approximately $122 per individual, per day. Opponents of detention have pointed out that alternatives are more effective and less expensive. Such alternatives might include a combination of electronic monitoring and reporting. Some alternative programs result in a cost of only $12 per day, per person.

Department of Homeland Security
While the Department of Homeland Security owns as well as operates detention centers around the country, DHS may also purchase bed space from more than 312 city and county prisons around the country for the purposes of holding immigrants who are detained. Immigrants who are held in these spaces may be mixed in with the local prison population. Approximately half of all immigrants who are held in detention do not have a criminal record. Immigration detention began in the United States in 1981 under the administration of Ronald Reagan in response to the mass migration of immigrants who arrived from Haiti by boat seeking asylum in the U.S. As the volume of illegal immigrants fleeing political and economic conditions continued to increase, President Bush Sr. made an attempt to establish a regional location that would be able to handle the large influx of migrants and refugees. That system proved to be ineffective. Mandatory detention was officially authorized in 1996 by the federal government when the Antiterrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act was enacted along with the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act. Between 1996 and 1998, the number of immigrants held in detention nearly doubled. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency, better known as ICE, was created in 2003 under the oversight of the Department of Homeland Security. The Office of Detention and Removal Operations, which is part of ICE, is responsible for the oversight of the detention and deportation of immigrants who are taken into custody by ICE officials. Numerous human rights organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International, have expressed concerns regarding the way in which ICE manages detention centers. Reports issued by both groups have referred to cases of human rights abuse as well as unprofessional or inadequate medical care. Further reports have cited instances of the death of immigrants while in detention.