How many ICE detainees cannot be located as of january 2026?
Executive summary
There is no authoritative count in the public reporting that answers how many ICE detainees “cannot be located” as of January 2026; the sources assembled for this analysis provide figures for the total detained population and describe gaps in transparency and access, but none supply a verified number of unlocatable detainees [1] [2] [3]. Reporting does document that ICE was detaining roughly 69,000 people in early January 2026 and that advocates, lawmakers and reporters continue to face obstacles in tracking transfers and visiting facilities—factors that create uncertainty about individual whereabouts even as no official metric of “cannot be located” has been published [4] [5] [6].
1. What the public data actually say about detention size
ICE’s published statistics and independent trackers put the detained population in the high tens of thousands in early January 2026: Reuters reported ICE statistics showing about 69,000 people in custody as of January 7, 2026 [1], independent trackers like TRAC reported roughly 65,735 in detention as of late November 2025 [2], and several outlets cited agency data in early January placing the count near 68,990–69,000 detainees [4] [5].
2. The crucial distinction: “not located” versus opaque movement and access
None of the sources reviewed provide a single published figure describing how many detainees ICE or other authorities “cannot locate”; instead, reporting highlights systemic opacity—frequent transfers, use of new and remote facilities, and restricted oversight—that makes it harder for reporters, lawyers and families to track individual detainees even while aggregate detention counts are reported [7] [8] [6]. ICE maintains an Online Detainee Locator System intended to help find individuals, but public accounts note limits to access and functionality, and courts have at times constrained unannounced oversight that would otherwise aid locating people [8] [6].
3. Examples that show why an “unlocatable” metric would be hard to produce
Recent reporting documents sudden transfers and long-distance moves—Minneapolis detainees shipped to New Mexico, and the opening of large, remote sites such as Camp East Montana—that complicate tracking for legal counsel and family members [7] [1]. Media and watchdogs have repeatedly flagged that detainees are moved between many facility types (ICE-contracted centers, short-term border holding sites, field office holding cells), which can mean delays or mismatches between different public data streams rather than a formal recognition that a person is “lost” [3] [2].
4. Oversight, litigation and death tolls that underscore transparency concerns
Journalistic accounts and watchdog reports in January 2026 also emphasized rising deaths in custody and legal fights over oversight—both of which amplify calls for clearer, real-time accounting of who is where; for example, multiple detention deaths were reported in early January and a court decision limited lawmakers’ unannounced visits to sites, further constraining independent verification of detainee locations [9] [1] [6]. These developments explain why families and advocates sometimes report being unable to find relatives, yet they do not equate to an official, agency-validated count of “unlocatable” detainees [9] [1] [6].
5. Why no definitive number is available in these sources
The assembled reporting and data sources provide total detention figures, examples of transfer practices, and descriptions of locator tools and oversight barriers, but none release or cite an official tally of detainees who are actively “cannot be located” by ICE or other authorities [2] [8] [3]. Where journalists and advocates describe difficulty locating particular individuals, those are case-level stories illustrating gaps in transparency rather than a comprehensive, quantifiable metric found in the public record [7] [4].
6. Bottom line and how to follow up for a precise count
The bottom line is that public sources through January 2026 do not provide a verifiable number of ICE detainees who “cannot be located”; available evidence shows a large and growing detained population (around 69,000 in early January 2026) and systemic obstacles that create localized cases of untraceability, but no published dataset or agency statement in the materials reviewed gives the exact figure requested [1] [5] [2]. To obtain a precise count one would need either an ICE internal report or a formally compiled audit by an independent oversight body that specifically records instances in which the agency cannot account for a detainee’s location—documents not present in the reviewed sources [8] [6].