The confrontation tactics of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) have come under renewed scrutiny following the fatal shooting of protester Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on January 7. However, newly released data shows that ICE detention centres themselves are proving deadly for migrants held in custody.
According to ICE press releases, at least four people have died in immigration detention in the first 10 days of 2026 alone, continuing a troubling trend after 2025 became the deadliest year for migrant detainees in two decades.
Four deaths reported in early 2026
All four deaths occurred between January 1 and January 10, with three fatalities announced over just two days, January 9 and 10.
The deceased were all men aged between 42 and 68 years. Two were Honduran nationals, one was from Cuba, and the fourth was a Cambodian citizen.
ICE attributed the deaths of two detainees to heart-related medical issues, while the causes of death for the remaining two were not clearly specified. Of those cases, only one has been formally listed as under investigation, raising concerns among migrant rights advocates and medical experts.
2025 marked deadliest year in 20 years
The deaths in early 2026 follow a grim record set last year. At least 30 people died in ICE custody in 2025, making it the deadliest year for immigration detention since 2004, the year after ICE was established.
Notably, the 2025 death toll exceeded the total number of migrant deaths during the entire Biden administration. Between 2021 and 2025, 26 people died while being held in ICE detention, according to data compiled by the American Immigration Lawyers Association using ICE reports.
Concerns over medical neglect
Human rights groups and independent observers have repeatedly warned about inadequate healthcare inside US immigration detention facilities.
A 2024 report by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) found that up to 95 per cent of deaths in ICE detention could have been prevented with proper medical care. The report examined deaths between 2017 and 2021, analysing thousands of pages of ICE documents obtained through public records requests.
Medical experts who reviewed the records identified widespread failures, including incorrect diagnoses, inappropriate treatment, and dangerously delayed medical attention, as recurring factors in detainee deaths.
ICE silent amid growing criticism
AFP contacted ICE for comment regarding the recent deaths and allegations of medical neglect. The agency did not respond by the time of publication.
As migrant deaths continue to mount and scrutiny intensifies, advocacy groups are calling for greater transparency, independent investigations, and urgent reforms to detention conditions, warning that without systemic change, the death toll is likely to rise further.