11 immigrants died in US ICE detention between January and March 2026

Deaths reported across multiple US immigration detention centres as cases raise questions around healthcare and detention conditions.

At least 11 immigrants have died in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) between January and early March 2026, according to a report by Reuters, citing official information released by the agency. The deaths follow 31 fatalities recorded in 2025, which Reuters said marked the highest annual number in nearly two decades.

 

The cases involve detainees from multiple countries and occurred across several detention facilities and hospitals in the United States.

 

Deaths linked to health emergencies

According to Reuters, several detainees died after medical complications while in ICE custody.

 

Emanuel Cleeford Damas, a Haitian national, died on March 2 at a hospital in Arizona after reporting shortness of breath while held at the Florence Detention Center. ICE said the cause of death was unknown. Reuters reported that his brother told the Associated Press a tooth infection may have contributed to it.

 

Pejman Karshenas Najafabadi, a 59-year-old Iranian national, died on March 1 after suffering cardiac arrest at a hospital in Mississippi. Reuters said ICE had noted he had several chronic health conditions.

 

Alberto Gutierrez Reyes, a 48-year-old Mexican national, died on February 27 at a medical centre in California after complaining of chest pain and shortness of breath.

 

Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz, a 68-year-old Honduran national, died on January 6 at a hospital in California after reporting chest pain while detained.

 

Luis Gustavo Nunez Caceres, a 42-year-old Honduran national, died on January 5 at a hospital in the Houston area following multiple medical emergencies linked to congestive heart failure.

 

Reuters reported that Parady La, a 46-year-old Cambodian national detained in Philadelphia, died on January 9 after being hospitalised with brain and organ failure while being treated for severe drug withdrawal.

 

Another detainee, Jairo Garcia Hernandez, a 27-year-old Guatemalan national described by ICE as immunocompromised, collapsed and died in February after more than a year in detention, Reuters reported.

 

Deaths under investigation

Some cases involved detainees found unresponsive or incidents still under investigation.

 

Reuters reported that Lorth Sim, a 59-year-old Cambodian national who had entered the US as a refugee in 1983, was found unresponsive in his cell at a detention facility in Indiana on February 16.

 

Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban national, died on January 3 at a detention centre in Texas. Reuters cited reporting by The Washington Post which suggested a local coroner might rule the death a homicide, though the Department of Homeland Security later said he had attempted to take his own life and resisted security staff.

 

Suspected suicides reported

Two other deaths were described by authorities as suspected suicides.

 

According to Reuters, Victor Manuel Diaz, a 36-year-old Nicaraguan national, died on January 14 at a detention site in Texas in what ICE called a “presumed suicide.”

 

On the same day, Heber Sanchaz Domínguez, a 34-year-old Mexican national detained in Georgia after an arrest for driving without a licence, was found hanging in his sleeping quarters and later pronounced dead at a hospital, Reuters reported.

 

Rising scrutiny of detention system

Reuters said the deaths come amid growing scrutiny of the US immigration detention system. While some officials and advocates have raised concerns over medical care and detention conditions, the US Department of Homeland Security has said that comprehensive medical care is provided to everyone held in ICE detention facilities.

 

The agency said incidents involving detainee deaths are investigated and publicly reported.