Ellis Island, the gateway to the United States, was also the world's first dedicated immigration detention facility. Since its opening in 1892, the United States has detained noncitizens arriving at our shores and living within our borders. Today, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detains approximately 18,000 people nationwide. TRAC Immigration, Immigration Detention Quick Facts, Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse, (last updated Feb. 27, 2022). In the commonwealth of Pennsylvania alone, ICE recently opened two detention facilities with the capacity to detain over 1,700 noncitizens. The facilities are indistinguishable from criminal jails.