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52 Dead in ICE Custody Under Trump's Second Term, Report Finds
🇲🇽 Mexico /Crime & Justice

52 Dead in ICE Custody Under Trump's Second Term, Report Finds

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Context piece
  • At least 52 individuals have died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody during Donald Trump's second administration, according to a report by Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights.
  • The report indicates a 77% increase in ICE detainees and a 140% rise in the death rate under ICE custody during the first year of Trump's second term.
  • Researchers question the adequacy of care provided to detainees, citing the high mortality rate and urging immediate reforms to reduce detentions and improve medical attention.

A joint report by Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Physicians for Human Rights reveals that at least 52 people have died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody during Donald Trump's second presidential term. The report, titled "Dying in Detention: Rising Deaths in an Expanding U.S. Migrant Detention System," highlights a significant increase in both detentions and fatalities.

The growing number of deaths in ICE custody exposes a system that does not appear to safeguard people's health or lives. While the number of detentions has increased, the mortality rate has outpaced it. This calls into question whether the care received by detained individuals is adequate.

— Reagan WilliamsReagan Williams, an HRW crisis researcher and author of the report, commenting on the findings.

During the first year of Trump's second term, the number of ICE detainees surged by 77%, from approximately 40,000 to over 71,000. Concurrently, the death rate within ICE custody escalated by 140%. "The growing number of deaths in ICE custody exposes a system that does not appear to safeguard people's health or lives," stated Reagan Williams, an HRW crisis researcher and report author. "While the number of detentions has increased, the mortality rate has outpaced it. This calls into question whether the care received by detained individuals is adequate."

HRW analyzed mortality rates from October 1, 2015, to June 4, 2026, while Physicians for Human Rights conducted a medical review of 39 deaths during the first year of the current Trump administration, noting limited available information. "People are dying in ICE custody at the highest rate recorded in many years, even accounting for the increase in the number of people detained," said Brian Root, a senior advisor at HRW. He urged the Department of Homeland Security and Congress to take immediate action to reduce detentions and reform conditions, ensuring adequate medical care in line with U.S. human rights obligations.

People are dying in ICE custody at the highest rate recorded in many years, even accounting for the increase in the number of people detained.

— Brian RootBrian Root, a senior advisor on technology and human rights at HRW, commenting on the report's findings.

The report details cases such as Lorenzo Batrez Vargas, a 32-year-old Mexican national who died in an Arizona detention center in 2025 after being diagnosed with COVID-19 and isolated for 12 days. His mother, María Leticia Vargas, expressed her grief and frustration over the lack of information regarding her son's death. Another case mentioned is that of Maksym Chernyak, a 44-year-old Ukrainian national who suffered a stroke while in custody.

Only a mother who has lost a child knows what I am feeling. I want my son, and I can do nothing.

— María Leticia VargasThe mother of Lorenzo Batrez Vargas, a detainee who died in ICE custody, expressing her grief.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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