How many deaths in ICE custody occurred during the Trump administration and how do tracking methods differ?
Executive summary
The most consistent contemporary counts show 32 people died in ICE custody in calendar year 2025, a two‑decade high that matched the previous record from 2004 (The Guardian; Reuters) [1] [2]. Independent trackers and advocacy groups report somewhat lower or differently framed totals for portions of the year — reflecting real differences in methodology, reporting windows, and what is counted as “in custody” (American Immigration Council; Detention Watch Network; ICE) [3] [4] [5].
1. How many deaths: headline figures and competing totals
Multiple reputable outlets converged on the 2025 total of 32 deaths in ICE custody, with The Guardian and subsequent reporting using ICE and other sources to conclude 32 deaths that year, the deadliest since 2004 [1]; Reuters and other outlets described “at least 30” or “at least 30 deaths last year” and then noted additional deaths in early 2026 that further raised the toll [2]. Earlier and partial tallies during 2025 differed: NPR documented “at least 20” by October 2025 as the year unfolded [6], the American Immigration Council reported 23 in a fiscal year tally and noted two more after the fiscal year ended [3], and members of Congress cited ICE’s public figure of 25 deaths reported since January 23, 2025 while noting ICE had issued only 15 formal Detainee Death Reports at that point [5].
2. Why these counts differ: timing and calendar vs fiscal reporting
A major source of variance is the reporting window: some organizations count calendar‑year deaths, some count fiscal‑year deaths, and ICE itself has issued figures tied to internal reporting cycles — producing numbers that can lag, overlap, or omit deaths depending on the cutoffs used (American Immigration Council; ICE congressional letters) [3] [5]. News outlets and NGOs that update continuously (The Guardian’s tracker, Reuters) often produce higher or more current running totals than static government releases, especially late in the year or immediately after facility incidents [1] [2].
3. Methodology divergence: who is “in custody”?
Trackers and agencies differ about whether to include people who died after being transported to hospitals but remained legally in ICE custody, deaths that began in Border Patrol custody, or cases where ICE released someone shortly before death — practices critics say can obscure official tallies (The Guardian; Wikipedia; Reuters) [1] [7] [2]. Independent monitors like Detention Watch Network count deaths they can verify from public records and community reporting, while ICE’s internal practice and newsroom narratives have sometimes used different language and formats that activists say downplay or delay disclosures [4] [7].
4. Transparency, reporting rules, and contested practices
Federal law and DHS appropriations guidance require ICE to make public reports about in‑custody deaths within a defined timeframe, but watchdogs allege delays, narrative framing, and selective disclosure; the Project on Government Oversight filed litigation to compel release of records related to specific deaths, highlighting friction over FOIA compliance [8] [7]. Congress members and advocacy groups pressed the agency over delayed reporting and incomplete Detainee Death Reports, underscoring that procedural gaps — not only raw counts — shape public understanding [5] [9].
5. ICE’s defense and alternative framing
ICE and DHS officials have responded by emphasizing procedural medical screenings and arguing that death rates remain low relative to the total detained population, with spokespeople pointing to routine intake and emergency care protocols and citing a very low per‑person death rate in statements — a claim noted by The Guardian though the underlying arithmetic was not fully published by DHS in that piece [6] [1]. Advocates and investigators counter that expanding detention populations, overcrowding, and cuts to oversight correlate with rising deaths, a causal framing supported by multiple NGOs and media reviews [3] [4].
6. What reporting differences mean for accountability
The bottom line is that the headline — 32 deaths in ICE custody in 2025 — is supported by multiple independent trackers and major outlets and is the figure most widely cited as the year’s toll [1] [2]. Yet the gaps between ICE’s formal Detainee Death Reports, congressional claims, and NGO tallies expose systemic ambiguity about inclusion criteria, timing, and transparency, meaning that exact comparisons across administrations or years require careful attention to methodology, not just raw numbers [5] [7] [3].