How many people died in ice custody under trump

1. What the headline number is and where it comes from

Multiple news organizations and advocacy groups cite 32 deaths in ICE custody for 2025, describing that total as matching or exceeding the highest levels since 2004 and naming overcrowding and medical neglect as contributing factors (The Guardian, The Guardian’s followups, Truthout) ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Reuters and other outlets sometimes report “at least 30” or “at least 30 deaths” for the same period, reflecting early or conservative tallies reported by ICE or calculated up to different cutoffs ^{[6] [7]}.

2. Why different sources report different counts

Discrepancies arise because sources use different counting rules: some cite ICE’s official narrative or fiscal‑year tallies, others compile press releases, congressional letters, or NGO tracking that may include later-reported deaths or exclude Border Patrol custody fatalities ^{[5] [8] [4]}. For example, the American Immigration Council and advocacy trackers reported 23 deaths in a particular fiscal year snapshot before that fiscal year ended and additional deaths were disclosed, leading to higher year‑end totals ^{[9] [4]}.

3. Fiscal year vs. calendar year vs. custody category

Some organizations report “fiscal year” totals (which can shift the window), ICE itself issues “Detainee Death Reports” under congressional rules that may lag, and separate deaths that occur in Border Patrol custody are frequently tracked separately — a January 2026 congressional letter noted 17 Border Patrol custody deaths reported to Congress in the first year of the Trump administration, illustrating how categories split the picture ^{[5] [8]}. That fragmentation helps explain why some watchdog tallies (e.g., 23 in one fiscal snapshot) differ from the later, more widely cited 32 figure for the full calendar year ^{[4] [1]}.

4. What reporters and advocates say about causes and accountability

Journalists and advocacy groups link the spike to a near‑50% surge in detained population under the Trump administration’s ramped enforcement, which strained medical services and capacity and — according to family members and lawyers in several cases — led to delays or denials of critical care ^{[2] [4] [3]}. Congressional representatives and immigrant‑rights organizations have accused ICE of failing to comply with medical standards and timely next‑of‑kin notification, citing internal reports and detainee narratives ^{[8] [9]}.

5. Official responses and contested explanations

ICE has produced its own narrative reports and asserted low average death rates in custody, but has not always published the underlying data behind some rate claims, and several deaths prompted federal investigations and internal reviews as well as questions about release timing and language used in agency statements ^{[1] [5]}. Reuters, PBS and other outlets documented both ICE press releases about individual deaths and outside scrutiny of specific cases, underscoring ongoing disputes over transparency ^{[6] [10]}.

6. Bottom line for the question asked

Answering “How many people died in ICE custody under Trump” depends on the precise timeframe and whether Border Patrol deaths are included; for the Trump administration’s second calendar year in office , the most frequently cited and widely reported figure is 32 deaths in ICE custody, a two‑decade high that became a focal point of congressional and advocacy scrutiny ^{[1] [2] [3]}. Other tallies seen in contemporaneous reporting—such as “at least 30,” “25,” or fiscal‑year snapshots of 23—reflect alternative counting windows or preliminary reporting and do not overturn the year‑end consensus around roughly 30–32 deaths for 2025 ^{[6] [4] [9]}.