By Felicia J. Persaud
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Thurs. April 16, 2026: The number of deaths involving undocumented immigrants in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, (ICE), custody continues to rise in 2026, prompting renewed concerns about detention conditions, medical care, and oversight.
Recent fatalities across multiple states have intensified scrutiny of the immigration detention system, with advocates and families calling for greater transparency and accountability. Among the latest cases is Mexican immigrant Alejandro Cabrera Clemente, 49, who died April 11 after being found unresponsive at the Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana. Staff initiated emergency response efforts and transported him to a local hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.
Cabrera, who had lived in the United States for over two decades, was in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.Home / News / Immigration / Caribbean Diaspora / ICE Custody Deaths Rise in 2026, Raising Concerns Over Care
In another case, Tuan Van Bui, 55, died April 1 at a detention facility in Indiana after being discovered unresponsive. Authorities said emergency measures were immediately taken, but he was pronounced dead at the facility. The cause of death remains under investigation.
Additional deaths in March have further raised concerns. Jose Guadalupe Ramos-Solano died March 25 in California after being found unresponsive in his bunk, while 19-year-old Royer Perez-Jimenez died March 16 in Florida. Officials are investigating the circumstances surrounding both cases.
Another case drawing attention is that of Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, an immigrant from Afghanistan, who died in Texas one day after entering ICE custody after reporting chest pain and breathing issues.
Advocacy groups say these incidents highlight ongoing concerns about medical care within detention facilities, particularly for individuals with underlying health conditions or those who report symptoms while in custody.
The concerns extend beyond detention centers. In recent weeks, deaths have also been reported shortly after release, including that of a Haitian asylum seeker found dead in Pennsylvania days after leaving ICE custody.
In total, at least 14 deaths involving immigrants in ICE custody have been reported in the first three months of 2026, raising broader questions about the system’s ability to ensure safety and adequate care.
ICE has maintained that individuals in custody are held in safe and humane conditions and receive access to medical care, including emergency services. However, the growing number of fatalities is fueling calls for increased oversight and potential reform.
As the number of deaths rises, key questions remain about detention conditions, medical response protocols, and protections for vulnerable individuals both during and after custody.
After years of decline, mortality in U.S. immigration detention centers has soared to its highest level in more than two decades, surpassing even the records set during the coronavirus pandemic, according to a report published in the scientific journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
The spike comes amid a rapid increase in immigration detentions under the Trump administration and mounting complaints about conditions inside the facilities, combined with limited access to medical care and inadequate oversight mechanisms. Experts cited in an accompanying editorial argue that the spike in deaths sends a warning sign about the health of a population in state custody.
MEXICO
The Mexican government on Tuesday protested the deaths of its citizens in U.S. immigration custody as President Claudia Sheinbaum pushes back against U.S. President Donald Trump’s policies on multiple fronts.
The progressive Mexican leader has walked a careful line with Trump for more than a year, addressing provocations with a measured tone and meeting U.S. requests to crack down on criminal cartels more so than her predecessors, in an effort to offset threats of tariffs and U.S. military action against the gangs.
But in the wake of mounting deaths of Mexican citizens in custody of immigration officials and the Trump administration’s decision to impose an energy blockade on Cuba — a key Mexican ally – Sheinbaum has taken a harder line. During a Tuesday press briefing Sheinbaum added that she requested investigations into the deaths of the 15 migrants, and instructed Mexican consulates to visit detention centers daily.