The Latest Data on ICE Detention in Southern Nevada; 72 Percent Have No Criminal Convictions

Nine percent more detainees than in July

DATA CORRECTED ON NOVEMBER 21, 2025

I have a day job at my local law school, and during the semester I don’t have much time to post here. But I do have a few quick numbers on where ICE detention stands in Southern Nevada, according to data published by ICE.

Last we checked, on July 7 ICE held 406 people at its two Southern Nevada detention centers. In data from September 25, that had increased 9 percent, to 442. Most of that increase was at the private prison in Pahrump, Nevada Southern Detention Center (NSDC), which now holds 364 people (330 in July) on an average day. We are expecting continued expansion there.

In August, The Nevada Independent reported that NSDC is one of the most overcapacity ICE detention centers in the country.

The other Southern Nevada detention center is the Henderson Detention Center (HDC), operated by the City of Henderson. HDC grew only slightly, with 78 ICE detainees on September 25, up from 72 in July. However, while smaller, Henderson is the only ICE detention center here that holds women — 18 on September 25. NSDC holds only men, for now.

As ICE detains more people, more and more have no significant criminal record. On September 25, ICE reported that 72 percent of its detainees in Southern Nevada had “no ICE threat level.” The footnotes to the spreadsheet say, “If a detainee has no criminal convictions, he/she will be classified as ‘No ICE Threat Level.’”

That 72 percent without criminal records makes Southern Nevada quite typical for ICE detention nationwide. ICE arrests of people without criminal records have surged in Trump’s second term.

You will see different numbers measuring the percent of ICE arrestees and detainees without criminal records, so let me clarify what this 72 percent means. When I say 72 percent have no criminal records, I am using criminal convictions, on the quaint belief that in America people are innocent until proven guilty. Even immigrants!

However, some people — maybe a quarter? — of the detainees have a pending charge against them. If you count a pending charge as a criminal record, then the numbers would be smaller. But the data would still show ICE increasingly targeting people with no criminal record of any kind. And as Snopes wrote: “only a small percentage of people detained by the agency had a history of violent crimes.” And also keep in mind: If ICE detains someone with a pending criminal case, they may be effectively disrupting the criminal justice system by preventing a regular criminal trial.