Summary At least 15 immigrants have died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody from January 2026 through early April, according to ICE
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At least 15 immigrants have died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody from January 2026 through early April, according to ICE. That follows 31 deaths last year, a two-decade high.
Tuan Van Bui
Died: April 1 at the Miami Correctional Facility in Bunker Hill, Indiana Nationality: Vietnamese Age: 55
Bui was found unresponsive and declared dead at the scene, ICE said. The cause of death remains under investigation.Jose Guadalupe Ramos
Jose Guadalupe Ramos
Died: March 25 at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in Los AngelesNationality: Mexican
Ramos was found unconscious and unresponsive in his bunk by security staff, ICE said. The staff called on-site medical personnel and he was transferred to an area hospital where he was declared dead, ICE said.
Royer Perez Jimenez
Died: March 16 at the Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven, Florida
Nationality: Mexican
Age: 19
Perez Jimenez's death was a presumed suicide, ICE said, while the official cause of death was under investigation after he was found unresponsive in the early hours. The detention center's staff unsuccessfully tried to resuscitate him for nearly 10 minutes after he was found, according to ICE.
Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal
Died: March 14 at the Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas
Nationality: Afghan
Age: 41
Paktyawal, an Afghan immigrant who previously worked with the U.S. military in Afghanistan and later sought asylum in the U.S., died in ICE custody less than 24 hours after being detained in Texas, a U.S. veteran-led advocacy group said.
In a statement, ICE said Paktyawal was eating breakfast when medical staff noted that his tongue had become swollen, prompting a medical response. He was declared dead only after multiple attempts at resuscitation, the agency said.
Emanuel Cleeford Damas
Died: March 2 at a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona
Nationality: Haitian
ICE took Damas into custody after he was arrested on assault and battery charges in September 2025 in Boston, ICE said. Damas was transferred to the Florence Detention Center in Florence, Arizona. ICE said he reported shortness of breath on February 19 and was sent to a local hospital and then transferred to a Phoenix hospital and placed in an intensive care unit.
He was intubated on a ventilator the following day and died on March 2, with the cause unknown, ICE said. In an interview with the Associated Press, his brother said he had died due to an untreated toothache and related infection.
In response to a request for comment, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security referred to ICE's public statement, which did not mention any dental issue.
Pejman Karshenas Najafabadi
Died: March 1 at a hospital in Natchez, Mississippi
Nationality: Iranian
Age: 59
ICE took Karshenas into custody in April 2025 after he was convicted of fentanyl possession, the agency said. He had several chronic health conditions but remained detained and was transferred in October 2025 to the Louisiana ICE Processing Center, a facility opened under the Trump administration, according to ICE.
