As Immigrant Deaths In Custody Rise, ICE Releases Fewer Details

While ICE recently reported the 16th immigrant detainee death of the year, the number of people in ICE detention centers has dropped by 11% since February.

There was a time when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials released three-page reports on what happened following the death of immigrant detainees in custody.

But as the number of deaths has gone up, NBC News reports, the details have decreased to a few paragraphs.

The agency once required ICE to give notice to the public and Congress within two days of a detainee’s death. The next step was submitting reports within 90 days to be posted on the ICE website with details surrounding the death: timelines, timestamps of medical observations, regular medications, administered emergency medications, and times and causes of death.

Since mid-December 2025, released reports have only included a brief synopsis of the circumstances surrounding these deaths as lawmakers grow increasingly almarmed over the increase in detainee deaths under Department of Homeland Security (DHS) custody. The ICE website that posts investigations has not been updated since mid-February, with DHS blaming the delay on the ongoing department shutdown

“Under these conditions, certain administrative and public-facing updates are not fully operational. In a shutdown driven by Democrats’ failure to fund the government, non-essential reporting functions can be slowed even as ICE continues its core mission,” DHS said in a statement.

ICE recently reported the 16th immigrant detainee death of the year. In addition, the number of people in ICE detention centers has dropped by 11% since February, and arrests are down by 21%. But there are still more than 60,000 people in custody, close to double the number prior to President Donald Trump’s second term in office.

Under the Trump administration, DHS has committed to detaining and deporting as many immigrants as possible. However, lawmakers have focused on deaths in facilities like Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, which has more immigrants than any other facility.

As U.S. leaders like Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas have called for Montana’s closure due to its conditions, world leaders like Mexico’s President Claudia Sheinbaum have criticized immigrant deaths while in U.S. custody, including those with Mexican backgrounds.

According to PBS, Sheinbaum claimed, “There are many Mexicans whose only crime is not having papers.”

She’s not alone. A poll from AP-NORC found six in 10 U.S. adults feel the Trump administration has “gone too far” in sending federal immigration agents into American cities, as the disapproval of immigration enforcement increases.

“Growing dissatisfaction around ICE activities in the United States creates a more comfortable platform for members of the Mexican government to raise concerns about the fate of Mexican citizens,” vice president of content strategy for the Council of the Americas, Carin Zissis, said.

DHS defended the reported increase in death rates, calling them a small percentage of the overall detainee population.

“All detainees are provided with proper meals, water, medical treatment, and have opportunities to communicate with their family members and lawyers,” the agency said. “In fact, ICE has higher detention standards than most U.S. prisons that hold actual U.S. citizens.”

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