Dozens of House Democrats are pressing the Department of Homeland Security about deaths that have occurred in immigrant detention as the number of fatalities reaches a staggering high.
In a letter led by Reps. Dave Min (D-Calif.) and Judy Chu (D-Calif.) sent on Friday, the lawmakers note that Immigration and Customs Enforcement has publicly reported 25 detainee deaths since January 23, 2025. That figure “exceeds every year on record since reporting began in 2018,” they write.
The fatalities raise serious concerns about insufficient medical care and patterns of neglect at immigrant detention facilities, the lawmakers say.
The number of people in detention has skyrocketed as the administration has sought to ramp up its immigration crackdown this past year. That’s led to reports of overcrowding and staffing shortages, both of which have allegedly compounded longstanding problems at detention facilities, including unsanitary conditions and inadequate medical care.
Earlier this year, a report from Human Rights Watch alleged that multiple detainees in Florida facilities were denied urgent medical care, including access to medications like insulin and timely treatment for medical emergencies.
“At least two deaths in custody—one at Krome and one at BTC—may have been linked to medical neglect,” the report concluded. (DHS has repeatedly claimed that allegations of “subprime conditions at ICE detention centers” are false.)
House Democrats similarly point to multiple cases they describe as indicative of “systemic patterns of delayed treatment, neglect, and failure to properly notify families” at these facilities.
Cases they cite include that of 39-year-old Ismael Ayala-Uribe, an immigrant detained at Adelanto ICE Processing Center in southern California, who died in September after he was allegedly denied timely care for an “abscess on his buttock.” The lawmakers also allege that Ayala-Uribe’s family was only notified after his death and were not told he was in the hospital.
ICE has said his cause of death is under investigation.
The letter also mentioned 75-year-old Isidro Pérez, who was detained at Krome Service Processing Center in Florida, and who died in July after reporting chest pains. He allegedly failed to receive painkiller pills he requested and experienced delayed medical care because the infirmary was overcrowded, per the Democrats’ letter.
ICE has also previously said his cause of death is under investigation.
A DHS spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the letter.
The House lawmakers urge the agency to respond to questions about whether they’re hiring adequate medical personnel to respond to the surge of detainees at these facilities and if they’re tracking repeated abuses at certain facilities.
“These are not just numbers on a website, but real people—with families, jobs, and hopes and dreams—each of whom died in ICE custody,” they write.