How many detained immigrants died during ICE removal under Trump?
Executive summary
The clearest, directly reported figure for deaths in ICE custody under the Trump administration’s intensified removal operations is that 32 people died in ICE custody in calendar year 2025 — a total that matched the agency’s previous record from 2004 and made 2025 the deadliest year in two decades [1] [2]. For context, reporting also shows that 36 detainees died during Trump’s first term, meaning public tallies attribute at least 68 in-custody deaths across both terms — subject to reporting caveats and ongoing investigations [3] [1].
1. What the official tallies say about 2025 — a record year
Multiple news organizations and immigration groups reported that ICE publicly acknowledged 32 deaths in custody during 2025, a number widely cited as the deadliest annual total since 2004 and one tied to a massive surge in detention numbers under the Trump administration’s ramped-up enforcement [1] [2] [4]. Congressional offices and advocacy groups tracked interim counts across the year — for example noting ten deaths in the first half of 2025 and 25 reported deaths by late fall — but the consolidated year-end public reporting converged on the 32 figure reported by ICE and cited by Reuters, The Guardian and policy groups [5] [3] [4].
2. Earlier Trump-era counts and how they fit
Reporting compiled by members of Congress and news outlets places the number of detainee deaths during Trump’s first term at 36, a figure used to contrast with the 25–32 deaths reported early in his second term alone and to underscore the rapid rise in fatalities after detention populations expanded in 2025 [3]. Advocacy groups and trackers noted clusters of deaths even in the first weeks and months of the second term — for instance three deaths in just over a month early in 2025 and seven deaths in the first 100 days — signaling the trend that culminated in the year’s record total [6] [7].
3. Types of deaths counted and related violent incidents
The recorded deaths encompass people who died inside detention centers, those who died after being transferred to hospitals while still in ICE custody, and fatal incidents linked to enforcement operations, including shootings by agents during crackdowns in cities [1] [8] [2]. News organizations documented that among the 2025 in-custody deaths were apparent suicides, deaths attributed to medical emergencies or alleged medical neglect, and individuals who were shot in operations or at facilities — elements that complicated comparisons and demanded separate scrutiny by investigators [1] [9] [2].
4. Limits, disputes and reasons the numbers may understate the toll
Independent groups and watchdogs caution that public tallies may undercount deaths tied to ICE custody because the agency can release critically ill detainees before death and reduce reporting obligations, oversight offices have been scaled back, and internal reporting timelines and redactions create delays [9] [10]. Advocates and some lawmakers argue systemic overcrowding, reduced oversight, and curtailed medical care contributed to higher deaths and may obscure preventable fatalities; ICE and DHS have defended their processes even as multiple deaths prompted congressional inquiries and litigation over access and oversight [9] [10] [5].
5. Direct answer and journalistic conclusion
Directly answering the central question: the widely reported, authoritative figure for deaths in ICE custody under Trump’s intensified removal operations in 2025 is 32 detainee deaths, and reporting places 36 in-custody deaths during his first term, giving publicly known totals of at least 68 across both terms — with significant caveats about reporting practices, possible undercounts, and ongoing investigations into many of those deaths [1] [3] [4]. Sources differ on interim counts and interpret causes differently — ICE issues official death reports, while congressional offices, Reuters, The Guardian, and advocacy coalitions document and contextualize the totals and raise concerns about systemic factors that may have contributed to the rise in fatalities [5] [4] [2].