Index/Topics/FOIA and Death Reports

FOIA and Death Reports

The use of FOIA data and death reports to calculate the number of deaths in ICE custody.

Fact-Checks

5 results
Jan 26, 2026
Most Viewed

What differences exist between ICE’s death counts and independent trackers (AILA, ACLU, media) for the same years, and why?

Independent trackers — including , the and investigative media — consistently report more custody than the agency’s official tallies; researchers attribute the gap to differing definitions of “in cust...

Jan 13, 2026
Most Viewed

How many people died in ICE custody in the United States in 2025 by month?

Available reporting establishes that 2025 was the deadliest year for people in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in roughly two decades, with major outlets reporting a year-end to...

Jan 28, 2026

What specific detention centers and cases made up the 56 deaths in ICE custody during the Obama years?

A 2025 coalition report, Fatal Neglect, counted in custody during based on and highlighted eight emblematic cases that it argues show ; the report names specific facility failures including at where d...

Jan 28, 2026

What changes did Congress and DHS mandate after 2016 to improve transparency and accountability for deaths in ICE custody, and how effective were they?

and enacted a patchwork of reporting and review requirements after 2016 intended to force greater transparency about custody — including statutory deadlines to publish initial notice and fuller death ...

Jan 9, 2026

How many people does ICE kill a year on average?

The most robust, peer‑reviewed figure places the long‑term average number of deaths in ICE custody at roughly nine per federal fiscal year — specifically a mean of 8.9 deaths annually from FY2010–2019...