How many people have died in ICE custody under the Trump Administration?
Executive summary
The most reliable contemporaneous reporting places the number of people who died in ICE custody during the Trump Administration’s second term at roughly 31–32 deaths in calendar year 2025, a two‑decade high, with more deaths occurring in early 2026 as the enforcement surge continued [1] [2] [3]. Exact totals vary by outlet and by the counting rules used — whether one counts only deaths formally listed in ICE “Detainee Death Reports,” deaths occurring after hospital transfer while still under custody, or related Border Patrol fatalities — so any single figure should be understood as a minimum rather than a definitive final tally [4] [5].
1. The headline numbers: 31–32 deaths in 2025, reported as a two‑decade high
Major investigations and news outlets converged on a grim conclusion that 2025 was the deadliest year for people in ICE custody since the early 2000s: Axios reported “at least 31” deaths in 2025, calling it a two‑decade high [1], while The Guardian and several other outlets compiled timelines finding 32 deaths that year, matching or exceeding the 2004 record [2] [6] [7].
2. Why counts differ: definitions, reporting lags and exclusions
Differences in totals stem from definitional choices and reporting gaps: some lists include people who died after being transferred to hospitals but who remained legally in ICE custody, others count only deaths recorded in ICE’s formal Detainee Death Reports, and still others exclude deaths that occurred in Border Patrol custody or non‑ICE law‑enforcement encounters — distinctions that make a precise single number elusive without access to ICE’s complete internal records [2] [4] [5].
3. Government disclosures vs. outside tallies and oversight pressure
ICE’s public news releases and agency tallies were the basis for many totals, but advocacy groups, Congressional offices and newsrooms have flagged discrepancies and delayed or partial reporting; for example, a November 2025 letter from House Democrats noted ICE had publicly reported 25 detainee deaths since January 23, 2025 while other compilations showed higher totals, and that ICE had issued only 15 formal Detainee Death Reports despite higher public counts [5] [4].
4. Context: enforcement surge, facility strain and early‑2026 deaths
Reporting links the rise in deaths to a rapid expansion of detention under the Trump enforcement push, overcrowding and reduced oversight, and notes that deaths continued into 2026 — Reuters and other outlets recorded four additional in‑custody deaths during the first 10 days of 2026 — underscoring that the 2025 toll was not an isolated spike but part of an ongoing trend tied to higher detainee populations [1] [3].
5. Disagreement over causes and accountability
Advocates and watchdogs argue many of these deaths were preventable, citing overcrowding, delayed medical care, and cuts to oversight offices; ICE and DHS have pushed back, saying the overall death rate per detainee had not spiked even as absolute counts rose with larger detained populations — both positions are reflected across coverage and official statements, creating a contested record that has driven Congressional requests for documents and oversight [8] [1] [5] [9].
6. Bottom line answer and reporting limits
The direct answer, based on the available contemporaneous reporting, is: at least 31 to 32 people died in ICE custody during calendar year 2025 under the Trump Administration’s enforcement surge, with additional in‑custody deaths recorded in early 2026; exact totals depend on counting rules and which official disclosures are included, and public records reviewed here do not provide a single incontrovertible consolidated number beyond that range [1] [2] [3] [5] [4].