US: Deaths in ICE Custody Surge Under Trump
The 72-page report says deaths rose 140% as detention expanded to 71,000 people and seven detainees died by suicide.
- On Thursday, June 25, 2026, Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights reported that 52 people died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody during the first 500 days of President Donald Trump's second term.
- During the first year of the administration, the number of people in ICE detention increased 77 percent, from about 40,000 to over 71,000, while the mortality rate in custody rose 140 percent simultaneously.
- Physicians for Human Rights assessed 39 deaths from January 2025 to January 2026, finding medical care often inadequate; one case involved Maksym Chernyak, a 44-year-old Ukrainian man, who suffered a fatal stroke after detention staff failed to act on emergency signs.
- A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security denied the reported spike, asserting that as bed space expanded, the agency maintained a higher standard of care than most prisons holding U.S. citizens.
- Dr. Katherine Peeler of Harvard Medical School said the government is "failing on all counts" to protect ICE detainees, urging Congress to address chronic reporting delays and ensure access to adequate health care.
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No more: At least 52 people have died in ICE custody since January 20, 2025, according to a Human Rights Watch analysis. “The mortality rate of deaths in ICE custody is at its highest level in over a decade and has more than doubled since Trump’s second term began,” the report states. Convicted felon and President Donald Trump and the DOJ dispute the findings. Trump’s crackdown has resulted in an all-time high number of detainees—71,000 in Janua…
"People are dying at the highest rate recorded in many years," said Brian Root, Senior Advisor at Human Rights Watch.
The action of the U.S. immigration agency ICE causes indignation far beyond the country's borders. Human rights organizations report lack of medical care for detainees - and significantly increasing death rates.
der Standard AT
der Standard DEThe number of deaths in custody of the U.S. immigration agency has reached the highest level in more than ten years. Human rights organizations report 52 deaths
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