How many people died in ICE and Border Patrol custody combined in 2025 and 2026 according to independent trackers?
Executive summary
Independent trackers and media tallies put the number of people who died in ICE custody in 2025 at roughly 30–32, and report at least six additional in-custody deaths in the first weeks of 2026; when combined with documented deaths caused by immigration agents in the field (at least eight), the independent-tracker total for deaths in ICE and Border Patrol/immigration-agent custody across 2025 and into early 2026 is about 44–46 people, with important caveats about timing and classification [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6].
1. ICE custody in 2025 — numbers and disagreement
Multiple independent trackers and national outlets reported that 2025 was the deadliest year in decades inside ICE detention, with Reuters and WOLA citing “at least 30” deaths in ICE custody in calendar year 2025 (a conservative agency-linked tally) while The Guardian, The Appeal and People count 32 deaths for 2025 in their compiled lists — a narrow spread but an important difference for headline totals [1] [7] [3] [8].
2. Early 2026 in-custody deaths — how many so far
Independent reporting and trackers recorded additional in-custody fatalities in the opening weeks of 2026: PBS and The Appeal report at least six deaths in ICE custody already in early January 2026, and Reuters noted four deaths over the first ten days of January — again, the exact number varies by tracker depending on cut-off dates and whether media-reported cases had been added to official tallies [4] [3] [1].
3. Deaths caused by agents in the field (Border Patrol/ICE officers) — a separate but related tally
Independent lists tracking shootings and on-the-street enforcement deaths report that immigration agents’ actions led to at least eight fatalities from shootings during the period beginning January 20, 2025 and into early 2026, a figure cited in Wikipedia’s compilation of agent shootings and highlighted by outlets like The American Prospect as part of a broader “field” death count that independent monitors track separately from facility deaths [5] [6].
4. Combining the trackers — the math, and why ranges matter
Putting those independent tallies together yields a combined range: ICE custody deaths of about 30–32 in 2025 plus at least six in early 2026 gives roughly 36–38 deaths tied to ICE custody; adding the independently tracked agent-caused field deaths of at least eight produces a combined independent-tracker total around 44–46 deaths for 2025 and into early 2026 — a working figure that reflects multiple trackers rather than a single, unified database [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6].
5. Limits, caveats and competing narratives
These numbers are subject to classification differences (facility in-custody deaths vs. field killings), reporting cut-offs, and whether trackers include deaths that occurred after release but while still medically tied to prior custody; DHS and ICE push back that death rates per detainee remained stable and offer different denominators, and some trackers explicitly note their totals are minimums based on public records and media reporting — independent tallies thus measure a mortality burden but are not a single “official” count and carry methodological caveats [9] [3] [7].
6. What the numbers mean for oversight and public debate
Independent trackers’ overlapping but not identical totals — 30–32 ICE deaths in 2025, at least six more in early 2026, and at least eight field deaths by agents — present a conservative combined estimate of roughly 44–46 deaths and fuel calls from rights groups and some lawmakers for greater transparency and medical oversight, while DHS and agency spokespeople emphasize rate-based context and dispute that the data indicate a systemic spike without presenting the same compiled external lists [2] [9] [3].