A girl lights a candle at a vigil for the victims of a fire at a migrant shelter that killed dozens in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, on March 28, 2023. Photo: Christian Chavez/AP/file photo.
The hardline immigration policy of the Trump administration is beginning to show its consequences. According to a CNN report, at least seven undocumented migrants have died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody so far in 2025, an increase that fuels concerns about the treatment of detained migrants.
The number of deaths, while less than 1% of the total number of people detained by ICE, exceeds the average recorded during the Biden administration. According to data cited by CNN:
2021: 5 deaths
2022: 3 deaths
2023: 4 deaths
2024: 12 deaths
The current figure for 2025 already equals the total recorded in Biden’s entire last year, when 12 people died out of nearly 38,000 detainees.
Today, I visited the Broward Transitional Center seeking answers in the wake of Marie Blaise’s tragic death. Instead, I left with more questions and serious concerns.
I failed to see any evidence that there are proper procedures in place and that adequate health care was… pic.twitter.com/VeRmxe4PTl
— Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (@CongresswomanSC) May 2, 2025
Since returning to power, Trump has intensified repressive measures against immigrants, especially those from Latin America. ICE has detained more than 66,000 people without legal status and deported more than 65,000, according to US official figures as of April 29.
Among the most controversial policies is the offer of a $1,000 payment to undocumented immigrants to encourage “self-deportation,” which has been described by human rights organizations as a form of covert coercion that ignores the principle of non-refoulement and asylum guarantees.
In addition, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) revoked immigration permits for nearly one million people who had entered through the CBP One app, launched during the Biden administration as an attempt to manage the migrant flow in an orderly manner.
Pressure on the US southern border has also escalated. General Gregory Guillot, commander of the US Armed Forces Northern Command, confirmed that the presence of troops on the border with Mexico will continue for at least two more years, an indication of the racist vision that the Trump administration is imposing.
Various organizations have warned about human rights violations, medical negligence, and inadequate conditions in immigration detention centers, factors that could be linked to the increase in deaths in custody.
“The use of detention as a deterrent is unacceptable. The lives and dignity of migrants must be protected, not sacrificed for the sake of arbitrary control,” denounced a spokesperson for the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
At the same time, the US government faces domestic and international pressure to review its immigration policy, given the controversial executive orders that often crashes with the US constitutional framework itself.
(Telesur) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SC
