ICE to stop reporting deaths of recently released detainees amid scrutiny
By Laura Sharman, CNN
(CNN) — US Immigration and Customs Enforcement is ending its policy of reporting deaths of recently released detainees, the Department of Homeland Security said – a policy change that comes amid increasing scrutiny over the deaths of immigrants in federal custody.
The previous policy, adopted during the Biden administration, required the agency to review and report all fatalities of federal detainees, including those occurring up to 30 days after release from custody.
The change in policy was first reported by the Washington Post, which cited a memo from acting director David Venturella sent to agency employees Thursday that said ICE is eliminating its requirement to report deaths that occur within 30 days of people being released from its custody.
“Under this updated policy, when an individual is no longer in ICE custody then ICE will no longer be responsible for monitoring or reviewing deaths that may occur,” DHS said in an X post Thursday, calling it “common sense.”
“ICE is not responsible when an individual passes away weeks after leaving their custody,” the DHS statement went on to say.
CNN has reached out to the ICE and DHS for more information.
Nearly 50 ICE detainees have died since President Donald Trump returned to office last year and began his sweeping immigration crackdown, including at least 18 so far this year.
More died in custody in 2025 than in any year in at least two decades, and 2026 is on track to be even higher, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association last month. A CNN investigation found that many of the deaths appear to have been preventable.
DHS and its contractors have been opaque about medical care inside detention centers – often declining to release information like the number of medical staffers on hand to state investigators, lawmakers or the press. DHS and the two largest contractors, GEO Group and CoreCivic, declined CNN’s request for those figures in previous reporting.
In its statement Thursday, DHS said ICE “remains committed to transparency regarding detainee deaths” and that procedures are in place to ensure timely reporting of deaths in custody.
CNN’s Casey Tolan, Rob Kuznia, Priscilla Alvarez, Audrey Ash, Catherine E. Shoichet, Michael Williams and Rhyannon Bartlett-Imadegawa contributed reporting.
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