At least 11 people have died in ICE detention under Trump, as administration on pace for deadliest year in decades

Your support helps us to tell the story Read more Support Now From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more

Donald Trump’s administration is on pace to have one of the worst years for deaths in immigrant detention in decades following the recent deaths of a Canadian citizen and a Cuban man in federal custody.

A 75-year-old Cuban man died in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement last week, CBS News reports, citing a notice sent to Congress of the alleged death.

The agency has not publicly disclosed the death yet, though it often announces such fatalities at a delay.

His death would bring the total to at least 12 dead in ICE custody since Trump took office.

At least two of those deaths were suicides.

Trump administration has pushed for record level of immigration arrests, straining the nation’s immigration detention centers ( Getty Images )

Critics accuse the administration of allowing conditions to worsen in a sprawling network of overburdened immigration detention centers as the White House pushes to deport millions of migrants in rapid time.

The Independent has contacted ICE and the Cuban foreign ministry for comment.

All told, 15 people have reportedly died in detention this fiscal year, which includes the final months of Joe Biden’s administration.

At worst, there were 12 deaths in a single calendar year under the previous three administrations.

At the current pace, as many as 24 people could be dead by the end of this calendar year, a staggering figure, though deaths climbed even higher under George W. Bush, reaching 28 in fiscal year 2004.

Critics say ICE, in an effort to arrest some 3,000 people a day, is straining the nation’s capacity to safely house immigrants slated for removal.

More than 56,397 migrants were in immigration detention as of mid-June, or about 140 percent of the agency’s ostensible capacity to hold them.

“These are the worst conditions I have seen in my 20-year career,” Paul Chavez, litigation and advocacy director at Americans for Immigrant Justice in Florida, recently told The New York Times. “Conditions were never great, but this is horrendous.”

The most recent deaths include Johnny Noviello, 49, of Canada, who was found unresponsive in a Miami detention center on June 23, and Jesus Molina-Veya, 45, who died on June 7 in ICE custody in Atlanta.

The cause of Molina-Veya’s death is under investigation. Authorities have noted the 45-year-old Mexican national was found unconscious with with a ligature around his neck.

The Canadian government has demanded answers in Noviello’s death.

"Canadian consular officials are urgently seeking more information from U.S. officials,” Anita Anand, Canada's minister of foreign affairs, wrote on X.

Immigration and border enforcement already make up two-thirds of federal law enforcement spending, and the Trump administration’s so-called “Big, Beautiful Bill” spending package could direct another $168 billion towards immigration and border law enforcement over the next five years, an unprecedented increase.