12 deaths in ICE detention under Trump, deadliest year in decades
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At least 15 migrants have died in US immigration detention centers this fiscal year, including a Canadian and a Cuban national, raising alarms about conditions under Trump’s policy.
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A foreign national was arrested during a targeted enforcement operation conducted by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) aimed at immigration fugitives, re-entrants, and at-large criminal aliens in Los Angeles, US, on February 7, 2025 (AP)
The recent deaths of a Canadian citizen and a Cuban man in federal custody have put Donald Trump’s administration on track to experience one of the worst years for fatalities in immigrant detention in decades.
A 75-year-old Cuban man died last week in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, CBS News reported, citing a congressional notice about the death, though the agency has not yet publicly confirmed the fatality, despite its typical delay in announcing such incidents.
If confirmed, this death would mark at least 12 fatalities in ICE custody since Trump took office, including at least two by suicide.
As the White House pursues aggressive efforts to rapidly deport millions of migrants, critics argue that deteriorating conditions in an overburdened and expansive network of immigration detention centers reflect the administration's failure to maintain proper standards of care.
This fiscal year has seen 15 reported deaths in immigration detention, a figure that includes the final months of the Biden administration, while the highest annual death toll recorded under the previous three administrations reached 12 in a single calendar year.
With the current rate of fatalities projecting as many as 24 deaths by year's end, a number that would approach but not surpass the peak of 28 deaths recorded during fiscal year 2004 under George W. Bush's administration, the escalating mortality figures in immigration detention facilities continue to raise serious concerns.
ICE's arrest frenzy puts lives at risk
With Immigration and Customs Enforcement working to meet daily arrest targets of around 3,000 individuals, critics argue the agency is operating beyond sustainable levels as detention facilities hold 56,397 migrants, approximately 140 percent of their designated capacity, creating dangerous conditions for those individuals.
Paul Chavez, litigation and advocacy director at Americans for Immigrant Justice in Florida, shared a sobering assessment with The New York Times, stating, "These are the worst conditions I have seen in my 20-year career," while adding, "Conditions were never great, but this is horrendous," highlighting the deteriorating situation observed over two decades of immigration advocacy work.
49-year-old Canadian found dead in ICE custody
Among the recent fatalities in ICE custody are 49-year-old Canadian national Johnny Noviello, who was discovered unresponsive at a Miami detention center on June 23, and 45-year-old Jesus Molina-Veya, whose death occurred on June 7 while detained in an Atlanta facility.
While authorities investigate Molina-Veya's death, noting the 45-year-old Mexican national was discovered unconscious with a ligature around his neck, the Canadian government has simultaneously pressed for answers regarding the circumstances surrounding Noviello's death in custody.
Canada's Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand stated on social media that consular representatives are actively pressing American authorities for additional details about the case.
