Fact check: How many lawful permanent residents were detained by ICE in 2024?

1. Summary of the results

Based on the analyses provided, no specific number of lawful permanent residents detained by ICE in 2024 is available from the sources examined. The ICE official statistics dashboard presents information on arrests, detentions, removals, and alternatives to detention as of December 31, 2024, but does not break down detention numbers by immigration status categories ^{[1] [2]}.

The available data shows that approximately 56,300 total detainees were in ICE detention, with around half having no criminal convictions - representing close to 30,000 people ^{[3] [4]}. However, this figure encompasses all immigration statuses, not specifically lawful permanent residents.

Individual cases of lawful permanent residents being detained were documented, including Claudio Cortez-Herrera, a green card holder detained for over two months ^[5], and Milad Aspari, another green card holder detained for over four months ^[6]. These cases illustrate that such detentions do occur, but provide no aggregate statistics.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question seeks specific data that appears to be either not publicly reported or not tracked separately by ICE in their standard statistical releases. This data gap is significant given that there were an estimated 12.8 million lawful permanent residents living in the U.S. on January 1, 2024 ^[5].

ICE has increased enforcement of criminal background checks on legal permanent residents, with lawyers reporting more green card holders being detained over criminal records ^[7]. However, the source notes that only a fraction of 1% of the 13 million green card holders have been refused reentry to the U.S., suggesting that while enforcement has intensified, the absolute numbers may still be relatively small ^[7].

The lack of specific statistics on lawful permanent resident detentions may benefit different stakeholders:

• Immigration enforcement agencies may benefit from not highlighting detention of legal residents, as this could generate public criticism
• Immigration advocacy organizations would benefit from having these numbers to demonstrate potential overreach in enforcement
• Congressional appropriators approved unprecedented funding for mass deportation operations ^[8], and specific detention breakdowns could inform future funding decisions

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself does not contain misinformation or bias - it is a straightforward factual inquiry. However, the absence of readily available data on this specific metric raises questions about transparency in immigration enforcement statistics.

The question assumes that such data should be available and tracked, which may not reflect the reality of how ICE categorizes and reports its detention statistics. ICE's public reporting focuses on total detention numbers and enforcement actions rather than breaking down detentions by specific immigration status categories ^{[1] [2]}.

The individual cases reported in the media ^{[5] [6]} suggest that lawful permanent resident detentions do occur, but without systematic data collection and reporting, the true scope remains unclear. This data gap itself may be significant for understanding the full impact of current immigration enforcement policies on different categories of immigrants.