Immigration Detention Deaths Hit 20-Year High
32 people died in ICE detention in 2025 — matching the 20-year record and exceeding the entire Biden term (26 deaths in 4 years). ICE now holds 65,000 people. Oversight staff was gutted by 80-96%.
Immigrant deaths in ICE custody surged to a 20-year high under Trump, with 32 people dying in ICE detention in 2025 alone. For comparison, 26 deaths occurred during the entire four years of the Biden administration. Seven people died in December 2025 alone, with at least three dying by suicide after being denied timely mental health care.
ICE is now holding approximately 65,000 people nationwide — nearly double the previous administration. At Camp East Montana (Fort Bliss, El Paso), the nation's largest ICE facility, 911 logs show approximately 90 emergency calls in 15 weeks for chest pain, seizures, suicide attempts, and breathing problems among detainees aged 19 to 89.
Oversight has been systematically gutted:
- DHS's Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties lost 80% of staff
- The Office of the Inspector General for Detention Oversight lost 96% of staff
- ICE attempted to require Members of Congress to give 7 days' notice before visiting facilities (blocked by a court)
The combination of doubling the detained population while eliminating nearly all oversight created conditions where people die without accountability.