U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk on Friday urged independent, impartial investigations into the deaths of people held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention, saying those responsible for breaches of the law should be held to account and victims' families should receive truth, justice, reparation and guarantees that the deaths will not recur.
"Those responsible for violations of the law must be held to account, and the rights of the victims’ families to truth, justice and reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence must be upheld," Türk said.
The U.N. call for scrutiny comes as the Department of Homeland Security's inspector general has opened an examination into detainee deaths in ICE custody over a multiyear period. According to a notice on the watchdog's website, the review will assess whether systemic factors, policies, or processes contributed to detainee deaths that occurred in ICE custody from October 1, 2021 through March 31, 2026.
Data cited by the U.N. human rights office show 18 people died in ICE detention during the first five months of this year, with an additional death reported in June. Of the 2026 fatalities identified to date, five were classified as suicides. The office also reported that 33 deaths were recorded in the prior year, a period it noted followed the launch of a mass deportation campaign in January 2025.
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The department, which has federal oversight of immigration, previously said it was committed to ensuring a "safe, secure and humane" environment in detention, including the provision of comprehensive medical care.
ICE, which operates under the Department of Homeland Security, has been central to the administration's forceful immigration measures. Rights organizations have criticized the crackdown, saying it has infringed on free speech and due process rights and created an unsafe environment, particularly for ethnic minorities, with resulting concerns about racial profiling. Supporters of the measures, including the president and many Republican advocates, argue that the policies are intended to curb illegal immigration and bolster domestic security.
The U.N. human rights office, citing U.S. official data, reported that ICE is currently holding more than 60,000 individuals, compared with roughly 40,000 in early 2025.
An analysis of ICE data covering 2009 through 2024 found that U.S. immigration facilities averaged one death per 3,848 detainees each year, based on average daily population figures. That analysis indicates the fatality rate has risen sharply since the current administration returned to office, with preliminary figures through early June suggesting about one death for every 1,630 people held in detention.
Advocates for independent investigations say such inquiries are necessary to determine whether policy choices, operational practices or resource constraints are factors in the rising number of deaths. The inspector general's review is intended to examine exactly those possibilities over the stated multi-year window.
The call from the U.N. rights chief and the ongoing oversight inquiry together place additional scrutiny on detention operations, medical and mental health care provision in facilities, and policy decisions that govern populations and capacity in ICE custody.
Note: This article reports on statements by the U.N. human rights chief, a government watchdog review, official counts of deaths in ICE custody, classification of some deaths as suicides, the scale of detainee populations, and an analysis of mortality rates in immigration facilities. All details are drawn from official data and the ongoing inspector general notice.