Deaths occurring in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (Ice) have reached at least 16 since January amid increasing mass detention across the country and growing concerns over conditions.
On Sunday, Ismael Ayala-Uribe, a 39-year-old Mexican national and former “Dreamer” – those given protections after being brought to the US as undocumented children in the past – died after being held at an Ice facility in Adelanto, California, according to a statement from the federal agency.
Ayala-Uribe’s death marked the 15th detention death officially reported by Ice, part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), since Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.
However, an incident then followed in Texas on Wednesday when a detainee was killed by a gunman and two others were wounded at an Ice facility in Dallas, even though prosecutors said the suspect was targeting Ice, not detainees.
Related: Dallas shooting suspect left ‘anti-Ice’ notes but wasn’t part of any specific group, officials say
And Ayala-Uribe’s death followed a 42-year-old Honduran national who died last week while held by Ice in Nassau county, New York.
In response to Alaya-Uribe’s death, Ice said in a statement, in part: “ICE remains committed to ensuring that all those in its custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments. Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay.”
According to the latest data from the Guardian, which has been tracking immigration enforcement under Trump, Ice was holding 59,762 people in detention as of 25 September. The number exceeded 60,000 in August, a record. On 26 January, roughly a week after Trump assumed office for a second term, Ice was holding 39,238 in detention and the total had been below 40,000 throughout 2024, although rising steadily later in the Biden administration.
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Adam Sawyer, a migration data scientist with Relevant Research, based in Maryland, reviewed the current and prior administrations.
“A total of 26 people passed away during the 48 months of the Biden administration. That’s a bit more than one death every second month (0.54 deaths per month). Only [approximately] eight months into the second Trump term … we’ve already seen 15 deaths, or nearly two detainee deaths per month (1.88). About half of the detainee deaths (12 of 26) during the Biden administration took place last fiscal year 2024, so detainee death rates were ramping up before Trump took office in 2025,” he said.
Sawyer said even considering the increase in Ice detentions, the rising death toll remains worrying.
Earlier this week, Georgia US senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff, Democrats, wrote to homeland security secretary Kristi Noem and acting Ice director Todd Lyons demanding information.
Citing the deaths of two detainees in Ice custody in Georgia, the senators said: “We write with serious alarm regarding the rise in the number of deaths in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody nationwide … We request that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE immediately provide information about these individuals’ deaths and about the Trump administration’s plan to prevent further fatalities.”
Concerns surrounding detention conditions are rising.
Setareh Ghandehari, advocacy director of the Detention Watch Network, said in a statement to the Guardian: “Ice detention is inherently inhumane, and we’ve documented horrendous conditions for decades. What we are seeing now is an exacerbation of these conditions that is resulting in more deaths.”
Despite criticisms from immigration rights groups and lawmakers who have been denied entry to detention centers, Ice and DHS assert that conditions in detention are safe.
“All people in ICE custody 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, access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. At no time during detention is a detained illegal alien denied emergent care,” Ice said in a statement online.
Advocates are alarmed, however.
Michael Lukens, executive director of the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights in Washington DC, said: “The detention in America is higher than it’s ever been … If you were a xenophobic, racist wannabe dictator and you wanted to deport as many people as possible, you’d want to make sure that the detention system is in a place where people get as little help as possible.”
And Sawyer pointed to detention levels.
“When increasing the size of a population, in this case the national [Ice] detainee population, we would expect it to increase the total number of people experiencing health complications that might lead to death if not monitored … While the demographic and statistical aspects of Ice detention definitely impact mortality rates, the actual conditions at Ice detention centers might be more immediately relevant,” he said.
The Guardian has reached out to Ice and DHS for comment about the 2025 death toll.
