UN rights chief calls for investigations into deaths in US ICE custody

GENEVA/WASHINGTON, June 26 - The United Nations human rights chief on Friday called for independent investigations into deaths of people under ICE custody, raising the alarm that 18 people had died in ICE detention in the first five months of this year.

"Those responsible for violations of the law must be held to account, and the rights of the victims’ families to truth, justice and reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence must be upheld," said U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk.

His comments come as the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's inspector general examines detainee deaths in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in recent years. The examination, according to a notice on the watchdog's website, aims to determine whether systemic factors, policies, or processes contributed to detainee deaths that occurred in ICE custody from October 1, 2021, through March 31, 2026.

Eighteen people died in ICE detention in the first five months of the year, the U.N. human rights office said, citing U.S. government data, and one death was reported in June. Five of the deaths in 2026 were classified as suicides. Last year 33 deaths in total were recorded, the office stated, after U.S. President Donald Trump launched his mass deportation campaign in January 2025.

The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. However, the department, which has federal oversight of immigration, previously told Reuters that it was committed to ensuring a "safe, secure and humane" environment in detention including comprehensive medical care.

ICE, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, has been at the heart of Trump's aggressive immigration crackdown that has been condemned by rights groups as violating free speech and due process rights.

Rights groups say the crackdown has created an unsafe environment, particularly for ethnic minorities, and led to concerns of racial profiling.

Trump and Republican advocates of the crackdown say it aims to curb illegal immigration and improve domestic security.

ICE is currently holding over 60,000 individuals compared to approximately 40,000 in early 2025, the U.N. human rights office said, citing U.S. official data.

Reuters analysis of ICE data found that between 2009 and 2024, U.S. immigration facilities had one death annually for every 3,848 detainees, based on the facilities’ average daily population. That rate has more than doubled since Trump returned to office, reaching about one death for every 1,630 people based on preliminary data through early June. REUTERS