Death rate in ICE detention centres doubles, analysis finds

Between 2009 and 2024, U.S. immigration facilities had one death annually for every 3,848 detainees, based on the facilities’ average daily population, a Reuters analysis of ICE data found. That rate has more than doubled since Trump returned to office, reaching about one death for every 1,630 people based on preliminary data through early June.

The data analysed by Reuters was obtained by the Deportation ‌Data Project through a public records request and processed by the Vera Institute of Justice, a nonprofit organisation that advocates for lower incarceration rates.

The causes of detainee deaths can be complex and do not necessarily stem from neglect or abuse by detention-centre administrators. But three experts in detention deaths who reviewed ICE records and autopsies for Reuters said the rising rate and other data points raised concerns about the quality of supervision and medical care in detention centres that have seen their population balloon under Trump. 

The population rose in the last year of Democrat Joe Biden's administration, which stepped up enforcement amid election-year criticism. ICE held about 40,000 immigrants when Trump took office, up from a Biden-era low of about 14,000 in February 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under Trump, the number shot up to about 70,000 at its January peak, during a major crackdown in Minneapolis, before falling back to about 57,000 as of early June.

-Reuters