ICE reports 18th detainee death in 2026, putting agency on track for new record

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement connected Friday reported the 18th decease of an idiosyncratic successful its custody truthful acold this year, putting the bureau connected way to grounds a caller all-time precocious successful detainee deaths if the grim inclination continues.

A 33-year-old antheral from Cuba died astatine an ICE detention halfway successful Georgia connected Tuesday, the bureau said successful a notification to Congress and a nationalist property release. ICE said Denny Adan Gonzalez was recovered unresponsive successful his compartment astatine the privately operated Stewart Detention Center successful Lumpkin, Georgia, precocious Tuesday. The bureau described the suspected origin of decease arsenic termination and said its probe is ongoing.

The reported termination is the 18th ICE detainee decease successful the archetypal 4 months of 2026. Last year, ICE recorded 31 detainee deaths, a two-decade precocious that astir surpassed the all-time grounds acceptable successful 2004, erstwhile 34 deaths were reported.

ICE said Gonzalez archetypal entered the U.S. successful May 2019 astatine an authoritative larboard of introduction on the Texas border, but that helium was deported the pursuing year. The bureau said helium reentered the state illegally successful 2022 and was subsequently released by U.S. migration officials.

In December, ICE said Gonzalez was arrested by section officials successful Charlotte, North Carolina, connected battle and home unit charges, prompting the national bureau to instrumentality him into custody successful January. He had been successful ICE custody ever since, ICE added.

The crisp summation successful ICE detainee deaths implicit the past twelvemonth has coincided with the Trump administration's nationwide deportation blitz. The arguable crackdown has led ICE to clasp grounds numbers of detainees successful its custody portion it tries to deport them.

Earlier this year, ICE's detention colonisation soared to much than 70,000 people. That fig has decreased since the Trump medication scaled backmost its assertive operations successful large cities similar Minneapolis amid bipartisan outcry. But the detention colonisation inactive stood astir 60,000 past month, higher than nether immoderate anterior administration.

Even aft accounting for the fig of radical successful detention each year, 2025 had the highest decease complaint — 5.6 radical per 10,000 detainees — since 2020, erstwhile the COVID-19 pandemic hit, according to a CBS News investigation of authorities data.

Those who person died successful ICE custody this twelvemonth see an Afghan exile who worked alongside American subject forces successful Afghanistan and a Mexican teenager. The bureau said the detainees had been antecedently arrested by section officials connected an array of charges including theft, fraud and resisting an officer. 

As the Trump medication has greatly expanded ICE's detention apparatus, reports of substandard conditions, including overcrowding, inadequate aesculapian attraction and insufficient food, person emerged passim the country.

ICE has consistently denied allegations of mediocre conditions successful its detention facilities, and erstwhile it announces caller detainee deaths, the bureau issues akin defenses of its attraction of those successful custody.

"ICE is committed to ensuring that each those successful custody reside successful safe, secure, and humane environments," the bureau said Friday. "Comprehensive aesculapian attraction is provided from the infinitesimal individuals get and passim their stay."

Julia Ingram contributed to this report.

In:

• U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement