How many people died by ICE during Trump

1. The simple, commonly cited number: 32 in ICE custody in 2025

News organizations and investigative projects reported that 32 people died in ICE custody in calendar year 2025, a count described as the agency’s deadliest year in more than two decades and matching a 2004 record ^[1]. ICE and Department of Homeland Security spokespeople disputed that conditions were deteriorating while defending the agency’s medical practices, even as they did not publish the underlying data that generated the agency’s mortality rate statements ^[1].

2. Why other tallies differ — methodology, timeframes and scope

Different groups produce different numbers because they use different methods and cutoffs: Detention Watch Network and Popular Democracy said there were “at least 25 deaths in ICE custody in just ten months,” reflecting an advocacy tally covering a specific span ^[2], while Reuters and other outlets reported “at least 30” or variations depending on whether early-2026 deaths were included ^[3]. Wikipedia compilations and ICE’s own disclosures also vary by fiscal versus calendar year, and by whether transfers, post-release deaths, or Border Patrol deaths are included ^{[5] [6]}.

3. Deaths caused by ICE actions or agents, not only in custody

Beyond in-custody fatalities, reporting documents deaths directly resulting from enforcement actions: investigative coverage and nonprofits catalogued instances of ICE agents firing on people and at least one killing during an enforcement encounter — the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent in January 2026 — which watchdogs and the Vera Institute treated as part of the broader tally of lives lost amid the enforcement surge ^{[4] [7]}. News accounts also noted multiple shootings by immigration agents in early 2026, adding to the human toll associated with enforcement operations ^[4].

4. What the reporting says about causes and conditions

Reporting attributes the rise in in-custody deaths to a mix of factors tied to a surge in detentions: overcrowding as population rose to tens of thousands (ICE reported about 69,000 detained in early January), repeated transfers, reduced oversight, alleged medical neglect, suicides and COVID-era vulnerabilities — all of which advocacy groups and some news investigations link to policy choices that expanded detention capacity ^{[3] [1] [8]}. Specific cases were cited where families and lawyers alleged failure to provide timely care, and advocacy groups warned ICE sometimes releases critically ill people before death in order to avoid reporting obligations ^{[8] [1]}.

5. Accountability, transparency and the limits of public tallies

Multiple sources warn the official count likely understates related mortality because of reporting gaps: critics note ICE can and has released detainees in critical condition before a death and because oversight offices were curtailed, leaving advocates to compile independent lists with differing criteria ^{[8] [6]}. Congressional and NGO calls for unannounced inspections were premised on worries over undisclosed deaths and conditions, and media organizations flagged that ICE’s public statements have sometimes conflicted with later reporting ^{[9] [1]}.

6. Bottom line and reporting caveats

The clearest, sourced answer from major news investigations is that 32 people died in ICE custody during calendar year 2025, with additional deaths in early 2026 and separate fatalities resulting from enforcement actions such as agent shootings ^{[1] [10] [4]}. Multiple alternative tallies exist and caveats about underreporting, differing inclusion rules (custody vs. enforcement vs. Border Patrol), and ongoing investigations mean any single number should be seen as provisional and tied to the precise definition and time window used by the source ^{[2] [5] [8]}.