Records posted by the Department of Homeland Security’s own immigration detention agency show ICE custody deaths have risen sharply in 2025, even as no public record shows DHS has issued a formal statement disputing that increase. The central fact pattern is not a debate over competing claims: ICE’s public death reporting, along with tallies compiled by outside groups, points to the deadliest year in federal immigration detention in decades, at a time when the detained population has climbed toward 60,000, the highest level in years.
“DHS has not issued any public denial of a spike in ICE custody deaths in 2025.”
What is visible instead is a growing body count and a trail of official announcements. ICE has issued press releases confirming deaths, and its public reporting portal lists fatalities across facilities and hospitals where detained people were taken for care. For families, attorneys, and detention staff, those entries are not statistics — they are final timestamps.
Overall counts and trends
- ICE’s Detainee Death Reporting postings show 10 deaths in the first half of 2025 (January through June), described as the highest for any January–June period since 2018.
- By mid-2025, ICE had publicly confirmed 14 deaths, with reports at that time of a potential 15th that was not confirmed.
- Later counts rise further: as of October 2025, the source says at least 20 deaths had been reported year-to-date.
- Historically, deaths reached 32 in 2004 and 20 in 2005; the 2025 totals place the year in territory not seen since the early 2000s.
The American Immigration Council, tracking fatalities across the fiscal year, put the figure at at least 23 deaths in FY2025, which ended on Sept. 30, with additional deaths reported after the fiscal year closed. Fiscal-year totals matter because Congress and oversight bodies often use them to assess performance and risk across DHS components.
Notable individual cases
Behind the totals are individual tragedies that illustrate varied circumstances — medical crises, suicide, and deaths during transport.
- Abelardo Avellaneda-Delgado, 68, citizen of Mexico 🇲🇽 — died on May 5, 2025 while being transported by TransCor (described as a CoreCivic subsidiary) from Lowndes County Jail to Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. The family reported he had no prior health conditions. Advocates raise questions about medical screening before long transfers and care availability during transit.
- Jesus Molina-Veya, 45, citizen of Mexico — pronounced dead at 6:42 p.m. on June 7, 2025 at Stewart Detention Center. The death was reported as a suicide, described as the third at the facility since 2006. Suicide in detention often sparks debate about staffing, isolation, and access to mental health care.
- Ismael Ayala-Uribe, 39, from Mexico 🇲🇽 — on Sept. 23, 2025, ICE announced his death at Victor Valley Global Medical Center in California after he had a fever and cough; the source notes he was a former DACA recipient.
- Oscar Rascon Duarte, 58, from Mexico 🇲🇽 — on Sept. 15, 2025, ICE announced his death at Banner Desert Medical Center in Arizona after transfer from Eloy Detention Center.
- Chaofeng Ge, 32, from China 🇨🇳 — on Aug. 6, 2025, ICE announced the death at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania, reported as suicide.
Each announcement lands on families and communities that may already fear contact with federal authorities and often leaves unanswered questions: how long did symptoms last, how quickly was care requested, and what actions did detention staff take while waiting for outside help?
Congressional attention
The rise in deaths has reached Capitol Hill. In 2025, Senators Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff demanded answers from DHS, citing 10 early-year deaths, including two in Georgia, and urging improved safety in facilities such as Stewart Detention Center.
When lawmakers focus on one site repeatedly, it typically reflects a pattern: recurring medical complaints, repeated suicides, or ongoing concerns about conditions that persist even after internal reviews triggered by deaths.
Systemic pressures linked to the spike
The provided material links the rise in deaths to several system-wide pressures that have intensified as detention grows:
- Rapid expansion of detention capacity and operations, funded by about $70 billion for staffing and hiring.
- Overcrowding, with reported problems related to sanitation, food, and health care.
- More transfers and transports, increasing exposure to risks during movement and straining clinic schedules and emergency response.
- A shift toward street and community arrests (rather than transfers from border or local custody), which can:
- Alter the health profile of people entering detention.
- Delay the arrival of prior medical records, diagnoses, and prescriptions.
- Increase risk in the first days when intake may be rushed and stress is high.
Staffing, oversight, and inspections
Staffing and oversight lapses are repeated themes in the material:
- Medical and mental health staffing shortages are cited as problems that reduce timely care.
- The Office of Detention Oversight was halted during a government shutdown, creating oversight gaps.
- In practice, gaps can mean:
- Fewer surprise inspections.
- Slower corrective plans.
- Less pressure on facilities to fix recurring hazards.
- Delays in routine treatment that can become emergencies (e.g., unmanaged diabetes, untreated infections, mental health crises).
Causes of death and implications for safeguards
The causes of death described span medical emergencies and suicides:
- Medical emergencies: tuberculosis, strokes, respiratory failure, among others.
- Suicides: about three were reported in the context provided.
These categories determine which safeguards apply, such as:
- Screening and isolation protocols for infectious disease.
- Fast access to imaging and stroke protocols.
- Respiratory monitoring and rapid response.
- Suicide watch policies and adequate mental health staffing.
Where to verify official entries
For readers who want to verify the latest official numbers directly, ICE posts individual death entries on its public portal, including dates and facility information, at ICE Detainee Death Reporting. The entries do not settle every dispute about conditions, but they are the government’s own running record of lives lost while in federal custody.
Analysis and stakes
According to analysis by VisaVerge.com, the combination of higher detention populations and tighter medical staffing tends to raise the risk of preventable deaths unless intake, monitoring, and emergency response improve at the same pace as enforcement.
In the United States 🇺🇸, the debate now is not simply whether the numbers are rising — they are — but whether DHS and ICE will match detention growth with the care and oversight needed to keep people alive long enough to see their immigration cases decided.
In 2025, ICE custody deaths reached their highest levels in decades, with at least 20 reported by October. This surge coincides with a record-high detained population of 60,000. Factors contributing to the increase include medical staffing shortages, overcrowding, and lapses in oversight. Lawmakers are now demanding improved safety protocols to address recurring medical emergencies and suicides within the immigration detention system.
