April 18 (UPI) -- The number of people who have died while being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement has surpassed a 2004 high, and several deaths this year remain under investigation.
The agency on Friday released delayed reports on four people who died earlier this year, bringing the total in 2026 to 17, which is more than half of the 33 that were reported in all of 2025, NBC News and NPR reported.
ICE detentions have increased significantly since President Donald Trump retook office in January 2025 as a result of his administration's crackdown on immigration, which resulted in roughly 3.3 million immigrants leaving the country last year, the Department of Homeland Security said in January.
The reports released on Friday cover deaths of ICE detainees in January and include the details of four people who died in custody, two of which had been labeled as death by suicide by the agency. The 17th death of a detainee occurred last week and also was labeled death by suicide.
"Death rates in custody under the Trump administration are 0.009% of the detained population," DHS told NPR in a statement.
