Deaths in ICE custody hit 20-year high in 2025

WASHINGTON, Jan. 14 (Xinhua) -- Deaths in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody reached 32 people in 2025 -- the highest level in two decades, The Guardian reported recently.

The deceased included both recent arrivals seeking asylum and individuals who had been in the United States for years, some since childhood. While some had been apprehended on criminal charges or after serving sentences, others were detained in broad ICE raids.

Causes of death ranged from medical conditions such as seizures, heart failure, stroke, respiratory failure, tuberculosis or suicide, the report said, adding that in several cases, families and lawyers have alleged that neglect and repeated denials of medical care contributed to the deaths.

Local media cited press releases from the ICE as saying that a number of people have died in custody in the first few days of 2026.

The spike in fatalities coincided with the Trump administration's push to detain a record number of individuals. According to the ICE's data, more than 68,000 adults were in ICE detention at the end of December 2025, up from about 36,000 in December 2023.