Immigration and Customs Enforcement has recorded its deadliest year since the early 2000s as agency officials push to increase the number of people in its custody.
According to a review of deaths by NPR, at least 20 people have died in ICE custody so far this year. The number comes as ICE is also holding nearly 60,000 people in immigration detention, the highest number in several years.
Deaths reached a peak in 2025 for the first time since 32 deaths were recorded in 2004, and 20 deaths were recorded in 2005.
Former agency officials are warning that increased detention population, decreased oversight, an increase in street and community arrests and continued difficulties staffing medical teams will result in more deaths. This summer, ICE received about $70 billion to hire more staff, including deportation and detention officers, and increase its detention space. Across the country, media and immigration advocates have reported overcrowding, unsanitary conditions and issues with food and health care access — a byproduct of a rapid scaling-up of immigration arrests.
“Can staffing actually keep pace with the increase in population? And that becomes particularly challenging in more remote locations where it was already difficult to find qualified staff willing to come out and work,” said Peter Mina, who worked at ICE for nearly a decade and then six years as a deputy officer for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties at DHS. “And that just places risk all across the system, including, unfortunately, individuals in detention facing medical conditions that might result in their death.”
ICE did not respond to an immediate request for comment on the count.
Mina’s former office at DHS was among those that would conduct investigations following a detainee death. Additional investigations were conducted by the ICE Health Services Corps and the Immigration Office of Detention Oversight. CRCL was among the oversight offices at the department that saw hundreds of staff cuts earlier this year. Other CRCL employees have previously told NPR that the gutting of their office could result in more deaths in custody.
During the ongoing government shutdown, DHS has confirmed, the Office of Detention Oversight is not working.
So far this month, two more detainees have died in custody. Medical conditions surrounding deaths over the last calendar year have included tuberculosis, strokes, respiratory failure and about three possible suicides. Each preliminary report includes a synopsis of the detainees’ immigration and criminal histories, as they have for past administrations, as well as the events leading to the time of death.
What about all those missing people?
Don’t worry. They could be dying already too.
Im actually surprised ICE has a dept of health.
Maybe they will rename it to the Department of dying like they renamed the Department of defense to Department of war
DHS Spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told NPR in a statement that detainees receive medical, dental and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility, a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arrival at a facility and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care.
I feel like she deserves her own dedicated community to document every time she has downplayed DHS atrocities. For both legal and historical documentation.
Aside from the time she justified hooking federal employees up to lie detector to smoke out leaks to the press and people saying mean things about Kash Patel, this example from March comes to mind. Coincidentally, the first time I can recall ever taking notice of one of McLaughlin’s very “reassuring” statements
Homeland Security makes cuts to offices overseeing civil rights protections
A spokeswoman for the department, Tricia McLaughlin, said in a statement Friday that it was implementing a “reduction in force” for three offices: the Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties, the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman, and the Office of the Citizenship and Immigration Services Ombudsman.
The Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman is an independent office within Homeland Security — not connected to either Immigration and Customs Enforcement or Customs and Border Protection. Its job it is to make sure immigration detention facilities are safe and humane.
McLaughlin said Homeland Security is “committed to civil rights protections” but said these offices were a roadblock to immigration enforcement. “These offices have obstructed immigration enforcement by adding bureaucratic hurdles and undermining DHS’s mission. Rather than supporting law enforcement efforts, they often function as internal adversaries that slow down operations,” she said.
“Get out of our way, bureaucrats! We’re trying to commit negligent homicide.”
Cutting off SNAP and Medicaid to waste money rounding up and imprisoning people who you falsely claim are cheating the system by using SNAP and Medicaid… So that you can feed them and offer them medical care.
As a Texan who does not kill things, I can expertly verify that dog don’t hunt.
Title is misleading.
“could be worse”? Ha, until someone does something about the orange paedo it will get worse.Oh it is going to get way worse for everyone.
