Record Number of Migrant Deaths in ICE Custody Raises Concerns
Huabing Xie, an undocumented migrant from China, became the last person too die in the custody of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) in the fiscal year of 2025. This death marks at least 22 foreign nationals who died after being detained by the immigration agency between October 2024 and September 30, the highest number in 20 years. More than half of those who died were Latino,and the total includes the two migrants killed by a sniper at an ICE office in Dallas last month.
The record for deaths in ICE custody was previously recorded in 2004, a year after the agency’s creation, with 32 deaths.The following year saw 20 deaths, a figure not surpassed until 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, when 21 deaths were recorded, according to government data. The 2025 data reinforces complaints about the inhumane conditions in which migrants are held in detention, conditions that have reportedly worsened in the last nine months following Donald Trump’s return to power.
“It is alarming that in the first nine months of the Trump Governance we are rapidly approaching the total number of deaths that occurred under the Biden Administration,” noted Detention Watch Network, a national coalition advocating for migrant rights, in a recent statement. Three of the 20 FY 2025 victims occurred during the final months of Joe Biden’s term.In the four years that the Democrat occupied the White House, a total of 26 deaths were recorded among detainees in ICE custody. The first three years of his mandate did not exceed four deaths annually, but in 2024 there were a dozen deaths.
Despite the increase, the current data remains lower than figures recorded since Trump resumed office and initiated his crackdown on immigration. Detention centers are currently overcrowded, housing over 60,000 detainees. The Republican administration aims to add thousands of beds to accommodate the 3,000 arrests it intends to make daily, with the ultimate goal of enacting the largest deportation in history.
The ability to adequately care for this increased detainee population remains questionable, as centers are operating far beyond capacity and are experiencing widespread staffing shortages. Human rights defenders report a lack of doctors in ICE centers, insufficient provision of necessary medications to detainees, and confinement in facilities lacking access to basic hygiene and food.
A report by Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff of Georgia, presented in July, summarized the situation: “Facts reported or credibly confirmed include deaths in custody, physical and sexual abuse, abuse of pregnant women, child abuse, inadequate medical care, overcrowding and unsanitary living conditions, lack of water and food, exposure to extreme temperatures, denial of access to lawyers and family separations.”
Three of the deaths in fiscal year 2025 were suicides, which human rights advocates suggest may be linked to the treatment received following arrest. ICE maintains that all detainees in its centers “receive extensive medical care, adequate food, and the opportunity to communicate with their families and attorneys.”
“I still don’t understand it”
Families of some of the deceased have expressed disbelief, stating that their loved ones had no pre-existing conditions that would have predicted a tragic outcome. “I still don’t understand it. How did this happen?” Lucía Uribe asked tearfully during a press appearance on September 30. Her son, Ismael Ayala-Uribe, died on September 22 at Victor Valley Hospital, where
Concerns Rise Over Migrant Deaths in Detention Centers Amid Government Shutdown & Long-standing Deficiencies
Recent deaths in immigration detention centers, coupled with the suspension of oversight due to the ongoing federal government shutdown, are raising serious concerns about the safety and humane treatment of migrants.
On September 18th, Josue Reyes banegas died at the Nassau County Correctional Facility in East Meadow, New York, less than 18 hours after his arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). ICE initially stated the preliminary cause of death appeared to be liver failure complicated by alcoholism, a claim the family has refuted as “absurd.” Reyes Banegas, a construction worker, had been medically cleared for detention within two hours of arrival, according to ICE.
Another recent fatality occurred at the Imperial Regional Detention Center in Calexico,California,where Huabing Xie died after suffering a seizure. As of late September, the cause of Xie’s death remains undetermined.
These deaths occur against a backdrop of long-documented deficiencies in ICE detention centers. A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) report covering 2020-2023 found ICE was not fully compliant with standards related to environmental and health security, special management units, staff-detainee communication, dental and chronic medical care, medical staffing, and the grievance system (DHS Office of Inspector General, September 2024).
The situation is further complicated by the current partial federal government shutdown. While ICE has asserted its activities will not be affected, the Washington Post reported that the Detention Oversight Office – the only group continuing routine inspections of ICE facilities as March – has been suspended due to the shutdown. Prior to March, two other oversight units were impeded by the DHS, leaving a critical gap in independant monitoring of detention conditions.
“We have long known that Trump’s cruel deportation agenda would include an aggressive plan to expand multi-level detention at any cost. Though, the scope and scale, and even more importantly, the human cost, remain shocking. No one should suffer under these conditions and no family should have to endure this tragic loss,” said Marcela Hernández, advancement director at Detention Watch Network.
The Nassau County Correctional Facility currently holds 50 cells reserved for ICE detainees awaiting transfer or deportation, a contract that has drawn criticism and calls for suspension following Reyes banegas’ death. Demonstrations have been held demanding an end to migrant detentions at the Nassau prison and the termination of the county’s contract with ICE.
Sources:
* DHS Office of Inspector general. (September 2024). DHS Oversight of ICE Detention Facilities. https://www.oig.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/assets/2024-09/OIG-24-59-Sep24.pdf
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