The death toll in federal immigration detention reached a two-decade high in 2025, with 32 people dying in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, according to a recent analysis by The Guardian.

It wasn't only recently arrived asylum-seekers who died in custody, but also people who had lived in the U.S. for years – even since childhood. While some had been apprehended on criminal charges or after serving sentences, other detainees were taken into custody during broad ICE raids.

Causes of death ranged from medical conditions such as seizures, heart failure, stroke, respiratory failure, tuberculosis or suicide, the report said. 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, saying 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 intensify immigration enforcement, which resulted in the detention of a record number of individuals. According to ICE data, more than 68,000 adults were in ICE detention at the end of December 2025, up from about 36,000 in December 2023.