Deaths in ICE custody during Trump's second term

Active · last development Sep 22: “Costa Rican man complained of lack of care for diabetes before his death in ICE custody, family says”

What this arc covers

The deaths of immigrants held by ICE in 2026: an Afghan man who had served with US forces, a Cuban immigrant's apparent suicide, reported as the 48th death in ICE custody of Trump's second term, Mexico's call for investigations into migrant deaths in ICE custody, the deaths at a New Jersey detention center, a man whose death hours after entering custody drew questions from China, and a Costa Rican man whose family says he complained of poor care for his diabetes.

Photo from Bangor Daily News, with Costa Rican man complained of lack of care for diabetes before his death in ICE custody, family says (Sep 22), the story with the most independent sources this week.

Earliest story we hold Mar 16, 2026 · 8 stories · 60 independent sources (counted once each) · 190 days

Part ofNew JerseyBob MenendezEl SalvadorHoustonMexicoMikie SherrillPeople's Republic of ChinaAfghanistanUnited States Immigration and Customs Enforcement

Part of Trump's immigration crackdown

  1. The fight over ICE agents' masks, body cameras and shock glovesOct 16, 2025 – Sep 1, 2026
  2. Gregory Bovino's exit from Chicago and Minneapolis and his retirementOct 28, 2025 – Sep 1, 2026
  3. Don Lemon's arrest and prosecution over an anti-ICE protest at a Minnesota churchJan 19 – Sep 12, 2026
  4. The 2026 Homeland Security shutdown over Democrats' ICE demandsJan 25 – Apr 28, 2026
  5. Deaths in ICE custody during Trump's second termThis arcMar 16 – Sep 22, 2026
  6. Trump's search for an ICE director after Todd Lyons stepped downApr 17 – Sep 17, 2026
  7. The protests and investigations at New Jersey's Delaney Hall detention centerMay 30 – Aug 7, 2026
  8. The Justice Department's suits against in-state tuition for undocumented studentsJul 16 – Sep 10, 2026
Show remaining 9 arcs
  1. Trump's order to end birthright citizenshipDec 8, 2024 – Sep 2, 2026
  2. Trump's deportations of migrants to third countries, from Panama to South SudanFeb 5, 2025 – Sep 19, 2026
  3. The Israel-Hamas war: the Trump administration's bid to deport student activistsMar 9, 2025 – Sep 14, 2026
  4. Trump's travel bans, from the June 2025 order to its expansionMar 15 – Dec 31, 2025
  5. Kilmar Abrego García's wrongful deportation and prosecutionApr 1, 2025 – Aug 18, 2026
  6. The conviction of Wisconsin Judge Hannah Dugan over an ICE arrestApr 25, 2025 – Jul 7, 2026
  7. Trump's deployments of the National Guard to Los Angeles, Chicago and PortlandJun 8 – Dec 31, 2025
  8. Florida's 'Alligator Alcatraz' immigration detention center in the EvergladesJun 24, 2025 – Sep 14, 2026
  9. Trump's push to end Temporary Protected Status for Haitians and SyriansJul 1, 2025 – Aug 20, 2026

Where it standsnewest first · each bar runs left to right by leaning

Sep 22Costa Rican man complained of lack of care for diabetes before his death in ICE custody, family says4 articles · 4 independent sources
1 left, 0 center, 0 right
Sep 2China presses the US for answers after a man dies hours after entering ICE custody16 articles · 15 independent sources
1 left, 3 center, 1 right
Aug 13Third person dies at New Jersey immigration detention center7 articles · 7 independent sources
2 left, 2 center, 2 right

Key momentsthe most covered; every story is below

  1. Mar 16 – 17An Afghan father who served with U.S. forces dies in ICE custody28 articles · 16 independent sources
  2. Jul 9 – 15Mexico asks states to investigate migrant deaths in ICE custody70 articles · 53 independent sources
    1. Jul 9Mexico to request criminal charges over deaths following fatal shooting of Houston man by ICE agents
    2. Jul 14Mexico asks US state attorneys general to investigate migrant deaths in ICE custody
  3. Aug 3 – 6New Jersey immigrant called his mom from ICE detention to say he was sick. He died the next day110 articles · 55 independent sources
    1. Aug 3Man from El Salvador dies in immigration jail in New Jersey, ICE says
    2. Aug 5Salvadoran Man's Death at Delaney Hall: Edwin Lopez-Cornejo Becomes ICE's 22nd Custody Fatality This Year
  4. Aug 13Third person dies at New Jersey immigration detention center7 articles · 7 independent sources
  5. Sep 2China presses the US for answers after a man dies hours after entering ICE custody16 articles · 15 independent sources

Who covered it, over timeindependent sources per week, by side

Mar 16Apr 20Jun 1Jul 6Aug 17Sep 21

LeftCenterRight

Point at or tap a week to see its count by side.

Every week as a table
Week ofLeftCenterRightArticles
Mar 16, 202647026
Apr 13, 20260308
Jul 6, 202677646
Jul 13, 202604220
Aug 3, 202611135113
Aug 10, 20262226
Aug 31, 202613116
Sep 21, 20261004

Stories before June 28, 2026 come from archived pages, so who covered them is limited to the outlets we recovered for that period.

33% left · 49% center · 18% right of 60 independent sources among the outlets we track, across 8 stories.

Every storyoldest first

  1. March 2026

    Mar 16– 17An Afghan father who served with U.S. forces dies in ICE custody28 articles · 16 independent sources
    4 left, 7 center, 0 right

  2. April 2026

    Apr 17– 18Cuban immigrant's apparent suicide is 48th death in ICE custody during 2nd Trump administration8 articles · 3 independent sources
    0 left, 3 center, 0 right

  3. July 2026

    Jul 9– 15Mexico asks states to investigate migrant deaths in ICE custody70 articles · 53 independent sources
    7 left, 11 center, 6 right

  4. August 2026

    Aug 3– 6New Jersey immigrant called his mom from ICE detention to say he was sick. He died the next day110 articles · 55 independent sources
    10 left, 12 center, 5 right
  5. Aug 3– 7Rep. Rob Menendez says third detainee at Delaney Hall has died5 articles · 4 independent sources
    2 left, 2 center, 0 right
  6. Aug 13Third person dies at New Jersey immigration detention center7 articles · 7 independent sources
    2 left, 2 center, 2 right

  7. September 2026

    Sep 2China presses the US for answers after a man dies hours after entering ICE custody16 articles · 15 independent sources
    1 left, 3 center, 1 right