In 2025 alone, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported 32 people who died within 90 days of being in ICE custody. As of Feb 13, an additional ten people have died in custody, and ICE agents have killed three U.S. citizens.
There is a lot of controversy over whether or not ICE was justified in these deaths or murders; however, I think there are a lot of important details that are being forgotten during these conversations. The most important being that even if they are guilty of a crime, the punishment is not supposed to be death.
In the deaths of non-U.S. citizens, there is often less media coverage and overall less knowledge of what is happening. ICE is required to document all people who have died after being detained, along with how they died. Although in some instances it was due to external circumstances or health issues, in others it feels like information is missing or there is only one reported side of what happened.
When these deaths are reported or questioned, it seems like they get less sympathy due to the fact that conservative people view being illegal as being guilty of a crime, and that almost justifies the deaths for certain people. This protection of ICE’s actions has made it possible for the continuation of reporting mysterious deaths and writing them off as various health complications or sending immigrants away to various countries if they do survive.
Although ICE does have jurisdiction to detain non-U.S. citizens and hold them in a detention center, it is not legal to use unnecessary force during the detainment process or later after the arrest.
In the instances where three U.S. citizens were killed, there is even more discussion over whether the ICE agents were justified in their actions. Some people blame the victims, claiming that they were not complying or were committing a crime that made ICE start interacting with them in the first place.
What people are forgetting is that, even if they were committing a crime, death should not be the punishment. The only time deadly force is supposed to be used is if the officer’s life is seriously threatened by the person they are interacting with or if that person has previously injured someone else.
Between videos shared online and in-person witness accounts, the three U.S. citizens who were killed did not fall into these categories, justifying the use of a gun. On top of that, each person was shot multiple times, even though they were not in a position to be able to fight back.
Whether or not ICE is arresting a non-U.S. citizen or a U.S. citizen who is breaking a law, they should not have the power to kill someone for a crime. The best way to stay safe against ICE is to know your rights. The National Immigrant Justice Center is a resource anyone can access if they are unsure how to respond if they or someone they know encounters ICE.
