ICE Detention on Track for Deadliest Year Since 2004; 23 Deaths Since October

Twenty-three people have died in ICE custody since October 2025, exceeding the prior full fiscal year's total and putting FY2026 on pace to be the deadliest for immigration detention in over two decades. The surge coincides with an 80% increase in the detained population to approximately 70,000 and rapid facility expansion toward a 100,000-bed target. Arrests of individuals with no criminal record rose from 6% to 41% of ICE apprehensions during Trump's first year.