The Trump administration wanted numbers and they got them, but they probably would have wanted to brag about it. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has already been under scrutiny, is facing its deadliest year in decades, with fatalities rising and arrests expanding. The system is overwhelmed as it detains people who aren’t criminals.
According to CBS News, the number of people detained by ICE has hit a historic high of nearly 66,000, which is horrible even by post-9/11 enforcement standards. Meanwhile, an NPR review found at least 20 detainee deaths this year, the highest death toll since 2004. Now experts are warning that next year could be even worse if nothing changes.
But the number that truly changes the conversation is that there has been a 2,000% surge in non-criminal arrests since the start of Trump’s second term. Among them, nearly half of the detainees (30,986 people) have no criminal charges or convictions in the US. They are being held solely for civil immigration violations. These include people who overstayed visas, students, asylum seekers, long-time residents pulled from homes, and collateral arrests from community sweeps.
Concerns grow for detained immigrants as at least 10 have died in ICE custody since January 1st.
This includes deaths from Krome Detention Center where detainees in June formed a human “S.O.S.” sign in the yard. pic.twitter.com/C4mSBdX3Qk
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 18, 2025
DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin continues to frame enforcement as a crackdown on “murderers, r——, gang members, pedophiles, and terrorists.” Still, agency data shows conclusively that from September 21 to November 16, 2025, the number of non-criminal detainees has gone up by one-third. But the number of people with criminal convictions stayed nearly flat.
More people do not equal more deaths, honestly. But with low staffing and overwhelmed medics, they absolutely do. Former ICE and DHS officials told NPR that overcrowded facilities and barely any oversight are pushing the system beyond capacity. Some of the problems include understaffed medical units, delays in health assessments, and unsanitary/overcrowded conditions. Plus, facilities in remote areas are unable to recruit nurses and doctors. The Office of Detention Oversight was sidelined during the shutdown.
So far, reported causes of death include tuberculosis, strokes, respiratory failure, and suspected suicides. With ICE scaling up arrests even with its $70 billion new funding, former officials warn that deaths are inevitable. But who is being arrested matters. The current administration’s enforcement strategy has reshaped the ICE detainee population. Instead of mostly border crossers, many now come from community arrests and workplace raids, where they have little to no background information.
A Chinese immigrant named
Chaofeng Ge died in ICE custody
He was found hanging with his hands and feet tied behind him in the “hog tie” position
Deaths within these camps continue to rise, with more people dying in the last nine months than in the entire previous four years pic.twitter.com/9UA9VJJ2A8
— Kelly (@broadwaybabyto) November 20, 2025
As one former ICE official told NPR, border detainees are usually younger and healthier. On the other hand, those taken from homes and workplaces carry health risks and are entering an understaffed system with no medical safety net. Meanwhile, 54% of Americans now believe the government is detaining more people than necessary, according to a recent CBS News poll.
Yet arrests continue.
NEXT UP: ICE Is Detaining Military Spouses at Green Card Interviews — Families Call It a Betrayal
