Report: Deaths of Migrants Detained in America at Highest Levels in Over a Decade

SadaNews - The death rate of detainees held by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has reached its highest level in over a decade, according to two human rights groups, a claim that the Trump administration denies.

A report by the organizations "Human Rights Watch" and "Physicians for Human Rights" indicated that at least 52 deaths have been recorded in detention centers since the start of Donald Trump's second term in January 2025, during which mass arrests of undocumented migrants were implemented.

Reagan Williams, who contributed to the report for "Human Rights Watch," told Agence France-Presse, "Instead of taking measures to address this crisis and protect the lives and health of detained individuals, we saw the administration (...) subjecting an increasing number of people to prolonged detention."

The death rate increased by 140% between January 2025 and January 2026 compared to the previous year, a disproportionate rise in relation to the increasing number of detainees, according to the text.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, under which Immigration and Customs Enforcement falls, said, "There has been no rise in deaths." He added, "In line with data from the past decade, the death rate in detention centers under the Trump administration is 0.009% of the total number of detainees."

The report indicated deficiencies in accessing medical care, which can be attributed in part to overcrowding in detention centers and extended detention periods.

In contrast, the Department of Homeland Security stated that it "maintains a level of care that exceeds that offered by most prisons where American citizens are held," adding that "for many undocumented foreign nationals, this is the best healthcare system they have received in their lives."