How many people have been killed by ice agents i 2025
Executive summary
Official tallies and investigative reporting show 2025 was unusually lethal for people under U.S. immigration enforcement: ICE’s own and media-compiled figures record at least 32 deaths in ICE custody during 2025, and independent trackers and news outlets document multiple fatal shootings by federal immigration agents during enforcement actions — but there is no single, publicly verified number of people “killed by ICE agents” that distinguishes custody deaths from agent-involved shootings [1] [2] [3].
1. Custody deaths: 32 recorded deaths in ICE detention in 2025
ICE and multiple major outlets report that 2025 produced the agency’s deadliest year in two decades, with at least 32 people dying while in ICE custody over the course of the year; outlets including Reuters, The Guardian and People cite that 30–32 figure as coming from agency or compiled reporting [1] [2] [4].
2. Agent-involved shootings and deaths: multiple, variably counted incidents
Independent trackers, news organizations and compendia of shootings show a separate and overlapping set of deadly encounters in which immigration agents shot and killed people during enforcement actions or stops; counts differ by source — one Wikipedia compilation cites at least 30 shootings by immigration agents since January 20, 2025, resulting in eight deaths as of its snapshot, while reporting by The Trace and The Guardian noted dozens of incidents and at least 16 shootings involving ICE agents within certain timeframes [5] [3].
3. Why there’s no single definitive figure for “killed by ICE agents” in 2025
Public data are fragmented: ICE publishes custodial death totals, but federal records, DHS statements and journalistic databases separate custody fatalities from deaths caused directly by use of force during field operations; DHS and ICE responses to media questions on the precise number of agent-involved fatal shootings have been incomplete, and outlets note that agency processes and reporting practices make it difficult to reconcile counts across jurisdictions and agencies (ICE, CBP, USBP) or to determine whether a death was caused by an ICE agent, a CBP/Border Patrol agent, an off-duty agent, or other actors present [6] [3] [5].
4. Examples that feed the totals — custody versus agent killings
Reporting highlights specific cases that illustrate the split: dozens of named detainee deaths across detention centers in 2025 are cited in Guardian timelines and advocacy group lists [2] [7], while high-profile on-duty and off‑duty shootings — including the fatal Minneapolis enforcement shootings and at least several other fatal shootings (Chicago traffic-stop fatality among them) — have been reported by Reuters, PBS, Newsweek and others as separate incidents that prompted local and federal investigations [1] [6] [8].
5. Conflicting counts and implicit agendas in the reporting
Numbers vary because sources have different missions and incentives: advocacy groups and critics emphasize custodial death totals and allege systemic violence [7], mainstream outlets compile incidents and rely on public records or activist lists [2] [3], while DHS releases emphasize threats against agents and assault counts to justify enforcement posture [9] [10]; Wikipedia and tracker projects attempt exhaustive lists but depend on media reporting and preliminary public records, producing divergent “at least” figures [5] [3].
6. Bottom line — what can be stated with confidence
It is verifiable from multiple reputable sources that at least 32 people died in ICE custody during 2025 [1] [2] [4]. Separately, multiple people were killed in shootings involving federal immigration agents in 2025 — specific tallies vary by source (reports cite anything from several up to a dozen-plus fatal shootings depending on the dataset) — and there is no single, agency‑published aggregate that definitively states “X people were killed by ICE agents in 2025” that reconciles custody deaths and use-of-force fatalities [5] [3] [6].