Trending 
Deaths among migrants held in U.S. immigration detention have increased under the President Donald Trump administration, according to data released by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and records compiled from agency reports.
ICE said at least four people died while in its custody during the first 10 days of 2026. The deaths were announced by the agency in a series of press releases issued between January 1 and January 10.
All four individuals were men between the ages of 42 and 68. Two were citizens of Honduras, one was Cuban and one was Cambodian.
ICE said two of the deaths were caused by heart-related health issues. The causes of the other two deaths were not clearly stated. One case was listed as under investigation.
The deaths follow a higher number of fatalities reported in the previous year. ICE reported that at least 30 people died in immigration detention in 2025. This was the highest annual total recorded by the agency since 2004, the year after ICE was established.
The 2025 total exceeds the number of deaths reported during the four-year period from 2021 to 2025. During that time, 26 people died in ICE custody, according to data compiled by the American Immigration Lawyers Association based on ICE death reports.
ICE data also shows an increase in the number of people held in detention. More than 68,000 adults were in ICE custody at the end of December 2025, compared with about 36,000 at the end of December 2023.
Concerns about medical care in detention facilities have been documented in previous reviews. A 2024 report by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) examined deaths in ICE custody between 2017 and 2021 using records obtained through public information requests.
The report found that many cases involved delayed or inadequate medical care and concluded that up to 95 percent of deaths during that period could have been prevented with appropriate treatment.
Contacted by AFP, ICE did not respond to a request for comment by the time of publication.
