17 Immigrants Die in ICE Custody This Year; 31 Last Year Set Two-Decade High

Immigrants have died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody from January 2026 through early April. This follows 31 deaths last year, a two-decade high.

Aled Damien Carbonell-Betancourt of Cuba died on April 12 at a federal detention centre in Miami after an apparent suicide attempt was discovered by a federal officer.

Alejandro Cabrera Clemente of Mexico died on April 11 at the Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana. He was found unresponsive and staff attempted to resuscitate him before he was declared dead at a local hospital.

Tuan Van Bui of Vietnam died on April 1 at the Miami Correctional Facility in Bunker Hill, Indiana. The cause of death remains under investigation after he was found unresponsive.

Jose Guadalupe Ramos of Mexico died on March 25 at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in Los Angeles. He was found unconscious and unresponsive by security staff before being transferred to an area hospital where he was declared dead.

Royer Perez Jimenez of Mexico died on March 16 at the Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven, Florida. The official cause of death is under investigation after he was found unresponsive.

Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal died on March 14 at Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas. An Afghan immigrant who worked with the US military and sought asylum, he died less than 24 hours after being detained in Texas. He was declared dead after multiple attempts at resuscitation following a swollen tongue.

Emanuel Cleeford Damas of Haiti died on March 2 at a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona. ICE took him into custody after his arrest for assault and battery charges in September 2025 in Boston.

Pejman Karshenas Najafabadi of Iran died on March 1 at a hospital in Natchez, Mississippi. He was convicted of fentanyl possession and detained despite chronic health conditions before being transferred to the Louisiana ICE Processing Center in October 2025.