ICE's Own Data Shows 36 Detainee Deaths in Fiscal 2026, the Most on Record Since at Least 2018

ICE's own detainee-death-reporting page lists 36 deaths in fiscal 2026 (Oct. 1, 2025–Sept. 30, 2026), the highest count since the data begins in fiscal 2018 — 12 more than the next-highest year, fiscal 2025's 24. The page was last updated Sept. 23, so later deaths may not yet appear under ICE's 90-day reporting rule. One death, Geraldo Lunas Campos, was ruled a homicide by the El Paso County Medical Examiner after DHS initially cited "medical distress"; the FBI has investigated.

DHS attributes the rise to record detention levels rather than declining care; acting ICE Director Todd Lyons has told Congress the detained population's size explains the trend. Advocates counter that the totals, including a death classified as homicide, point to inadequate oversight as detention has expanded sharply.

Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock wrote ICE saying it issued required interim death notices within 48 hours in only 15 of 49 custody deaths since January 2025. The fiscal 2026 total has not been separately addressed by DHS or ICE.