People place flowers on a fence outside Krome Detention Center in Miami in May 2025, during a vigil to recognize people who have died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody as well as those affected by mass deportations.
Rebecca Blackwell/AP
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Rebecca Blackwell/AP
It’s been a tragic year for individuals in immigration detention, with the highest number of deaths in over two decades.
Since October, 23 individuals have passed away in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, surpassing the previous fiscal year’s death toll.
The most recent death was that of a 56-year-old Haitian man held at an immigration detention center in Arizona, who died in a hospital after going into septic shock.
With nearly 70,000 individuals in ICE detention, the highest number in recent years, concerns have been raised by former agency officials and immigration advocates about the increased likelihood of fatalities due to detaining more people and reduced oversight.
“The deteriorating conditions in detention centers, negligence, and lack of oversight have contributed to a grim record of deaths in ICE custody,” stated Jennifer Ibañez Whitlock, senior policy counsel at the National Immigration Law Center.
“As a nation, we cannot tolerate death in federal custody as an acceptable outcome of American immigration policy.”
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not provide a comment on the death count.
Democratic lawmakers have expressed concerns about the rising number of deaths in detention, access to healthcare for detainees, and the delay in reporting deaths to the public.
“At no point during detention are detainees denied emergency care,” ICE mentioned in a press release announcing the death of the man in Arizona.
Last year, Congress allocated approximately $70 billion to DHS to hire more staff, including deportation and detention officers, and expand detention space, which has resulted in overcrowding, unsanitary conditions, and issues with food and healthcare access in detention centers, as reported by media outlets and immigration advocates.
In January, confirmed cases of measles were reported among detainees at the Florence Detention Center in Arizona and the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in Texas, which houses families. Another outbreak was reported this month at Camp East Montana, a facility in Texas that has also experienced three deaths.
The agency defended its actions following the outbreaks in Florence and Dilley, including quarantine measures and infection control.
Measures to Ensure Detainee Health
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem outlined the agency’s efforts to prevent fatalities.
“Individuals in our processing and detention centers receive medical treatment,” she informed senators. “Within 12 hours, they undergo a medical examination, receive necessary prescriptions and medications, and undergo a comprehensive evaluation.”
The agency ensures that detainees receive a complete health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arriving at a facility, along with access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care.
“ICE is actively recruiting healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, pharmacists, and health administrators, to support the expanded detention capacity enabled by President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill,” a DHS spokesperson stated. However, no updates were provided on the recruitment progress.
Medical professionals working in immigration detention centers reported chaotic screenings and life-threatening delays in providing medicine and care to detainees due to overcrowding and understaffing, leading some to resign.
Austin Kocher, an assistant research professor at Syracuse University studying the immigration enforcement system, suggested that the surge in the detention population alone may not explain the rise in deaths.
“These deaths are potentially preventable, not solely due to demographics, but due to concerns about care within a rapidly expanding system,” Kocher commented. He referenced a 2024 study indicating that the majority of deaths in immigration detention from 2017-2021 could have been prevented with appropriate medical care.
