How many people have died from ICE under trump
Executive summary
The most consistently reported figure for deaths in ICE custody during the first year of the second Trump administration is that 2025 was a two‑decade high, with roughly 30–32 people dying while in ICE custody; different outlets and advocacy groups report slightly different totals depending on cutoff dates and definitions (for example, The Guardian and Detention Watch Network cite 32, Reuters and other outlets report “at least 30,” and the American Immigration Council documented 23 in the fiscal year tally before noting additional deaths) [1] [2] [3] [4].
1. Official tallies and the headline numbers
Multiple reputable news organizations and advocacy trackers converge on the conclusion that 2025 was the deadliest year for ICE detainees in about 20 years: The Guardian and some advocacy reporting list 32 deaths in ICE custody in calendar year 2025 [1] [5], Reuters and other mainstream outlets report “at least 30” deaths for 2025 while noting further deaths in early 2026 [2] [6], and the American Immigration Council documented 23 deaths in the federal fiscal year before noting two more after the fiscal year ended [3].
2. Why the totals differ — timing, fiscal vs. calendar year, and updates
Discrepancies stem largely from differences in counting windows and how quickly new deaths are added to public tallies: some groups use fiscal‑year reporting, others calendar year, and government releases update over time so mid‑January 2026 reporting added additional deaths that fall outside earlier tallies [3] [6]. Advocacy organizations that track facility‑level reporting sometimes report slightly higher counts within shorter windows (for example, citing 25 deaths within ten months) because they include cases still under inquiry or reported by families and local media [4].
3. What these counts include — ICE custody, not Border Patrol or all agent‑involved deaths
The figures cited above specifically refer to deaths of people while in ICE custody; they do not automatically include deaths in Border Patrol custody, deaths during enforcement operations or shootings by immigration agents, nor cases of people released from ICE custody who later died unless sources explicitly include them [7] [8]. Separate reporting has documented multiple shootings and agent‑involved deaths under the same administration, and Congress has been told of deaths in Border Patrol custody that are tracked separately from ICE numbers [5] [7].
4. Causes, accountability and competing narratives
Journalists and advocates point to overcrowding, limited medical care, mental‑health crises, and the corollary of a rapid detention surge as proximate contributors to the spike in deaths, while ICE has published individual narratives and maintained that death rates remain low relative to population numbers—an assertion critics say lacks underlying transparency and detailed data [1] [3]. Congressional inquiries, NGO investigations and media outlets disagree on preventability and agency responsibility: advocacy groups and ACLU work cited here argue many deaths could have been prevented with proper care [9] [3], while ICE statements emphasize investigatory processes and offer different framing in its public releases [7].
5. What reporting does not resolve and key limitations
Public sources do not produce a single uncontested, static number because counts change as investigations conclude and agencies update their records; many reports explicitly note “at least” or give rolling totals that rose into January 2026 when new deaths were reported [6] [2]. Additionally, the sources assembled do not allow a definitive accounting of deaths causally “from” ICE policy versus deaths that occurred while in custody from medical or other causes without further adjudicated findings, and they do not settle disputes over whether particular deaths were preventable or the result of systemic neglect [3] [4].