Deadly Failures: Preventable Deaths in U.S. Immigrant Detention

Deadly Failures: Preventable Deaths in U.S. Immigration Detention, a new research report from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Physicians for Human Rights (PHR), and American Oversight, provides a comprehensive examination of the deaths of 52 people who died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody from 2017-2021. Based on a review of over 14,500 pages of documents and independent medical expert reviews, the report exposes the ways in which the Department of Homeland Security has failed to conduct rigorous investigations, impose meaningful consequences, or improve conditions that cause immigrants to die in ICE detention. Report analysis also incorporates the review of ICE’s own investigatory reports into deaths in custody by independent medical experts, as well as interviews with two family members of people who died in ICE detention during the studied period. The report concludes with actionable recommendations for Department of Homeland Security, Congress, and state/local governments.