WASHINGTON — The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General announced on Thursday, June 25, 2026, the launch of two new reviews concerning Immigration and Customs Enforcement's handling of detained migrants. These reviews will focus on an increase in detainee deaths and compliance with use of force standards within ICE facilities.

One review will specifically examine the contributing factors to detainee deaths that occurred between October 1, 2021, and March 31, 2026. Data from ICE indicates there have been 20 deaths in ICE detention as of the week of June 25, 2026. This follows 33 deaths reported for the entirety of 2025 and 11 deaths in 2024, according to the agency's website.

The Inspector General stated that the review into detainee deaths is a response to an increase in ICE detainee deaths each fiscal year since 2022. Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin addressed the ICE detention death rate during a House Appropriations Committee hearing on Thursday after being questioned by Rep. Lauren Underwood. Mullin stated, "Those are dangerous accusations that she's making, because in the state of Illinois, they're twice as high to die in a state penitentiary in Illinois, than they are in ICE detention."

ICE recently changed its policy regarding the publicizing of detainee deaths. The agency now reports only deaths that occur while a detainee is in physical custody, whereas the previous policy included reporting deaths that happened within 30 days of a detainee's release or in detention facilities. Under the new policy, ICE no longer documents detainees who become ill in detention, are transferred to a hospital, and subsequently die. At least eleven ICE detainees died at hospitals in 2026, according to ICE data.

Mullin stated that reporting deaths of detainees who have left custody does not make sense because those detainees are not under DHS watch at that point. A recent incident involved the death of Felix Alcorta-Rodriguez, a 63-year-old man from Mexico, at the Webb County Detention Center in Laredo, Texas; his cause of death is pending an autopsy. Earlier in 2026, a detainee at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, died in an incident ruled a homicide, which is currently under investigation by the FBI.

The second review will investigate whether ICE facilities adhere to proper use of force standards. A previous DHS Inspector General report detailed two instances of use-of-force violations at a detention center in Louisiana, including a prohibited chokehold and a guard using a pen to stab a detainee.