ICE Ends 30-Day Death Reporting Rule for Released Detainees as 18 Die in Custody
Updated
Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 4
ICE Ends 30-Day Death Reporting Rule for Released Detainees as 18 Die in Custody
3 articles · Updated · The Washington Post · Jun 4
Summary
A Thursday internal memo from acting director David Venturella said ICE will no longer report deaths that occur within 30 days after a detainee is released, limiting mandatory disclosures to deaths in agency custody.
The 30-day rule was adopted in 2021 after a detainee who caught COVID-19 at Adelanto died three days after release; former officials said it was meant to stop ICE from releasing gravely ill people to avoid in-custody death counts.
DHS defended the rollback as "common sense," saying ICE should not monitor deaths weeks after release, while civil-rights lawyers said the change will undercut investigations into detention-facility medical care.
ICE reported 18 detainee deaths in the first five months of 2026, putting the agency on pace to exceed at least 30 deaths in 2025—the highest annual toll in two decades.
Congress has required federal reporting of detainee deaths since 2014 and public reporting since 2018; a DHS civil-rights review had warned that not examining deaths soon after release misses chances to improve care and reduce liability.