Overview
- ICE says at least 11 immigrants died in custody from January through early March 2026, following 31 deaths in 2025, as TRAC recorded 68,289 people detained on Feb. 7.
- Three detainees died over four days: Alberto Gutiérrez‑Reyes on Feb. 27 in California after reporting chest pain and shortness of breath, Pejman Karshenas Najafabadi on Mar. 1 in Mississippi after cardiac arrest, and Emanuel Cleeford Damas on Mar. 2 in Arizona after intensive care treatment.
- Damas’s family attributes his death to an untreated tooth infection, while ICE lists the cause as unknown and its public statement did not mention a dental issue.
- Questions about care and transparency have grown, including concern over a five‑day gap before ICE publicly reported Karshenas’s death, while DHS says detainees receive comprehensive medical care.
- A Jan. 3 death at Camp East Montana remains disputed, with the Washington Post reporting a likely homicide finding and DHS later describing a suicide attempt.