Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been connected to many deaths over the years , but there is no single precise, universally accepted number for “how many people ICE has killed.” Public data is incomplete, and different groups count different kinds of deaths (in custody, during raids, after release, etc.), so any total is an estimate rather than a definitive figure.

What “how many people have ICE killed” can mean

When people ask this, they usually mean one or more of these categories:

  • People who died while in ICE detention (jails, detention centers, contracted facilities).
  • People shot or killed during ICE raids or enforcement actions in communities.
  • People who died soon after detention or deportation , where advocates argue that ICE policies or neglect contributed to the death.

Because each report or study defines the scope differently, totals vary a lot.

Known numbers from official and academic data

Academic and watchdog analyses show at least dozens of deaths in ICE custody since the late 2000s , with spikes in some years.

  • A 2024 study of ICE detention deaths found 38 deaths from FY2018–2020 and 12 more from FY2021–2023 (total 50 in just those six years, in custody alone).
  • Earlier compilations and advocacy tallies show dozens of additional deaths in detention in the 2000s and early 2010s.
  • Separate from detention deaths, a gun-violence tracker documented at least 28 ICE enforcement gun incidents with 14 shootings and at least 4 people killed as of early January 2026.

These figures already place the known number of people who died in ICE custody or were killed in ICE-related shootings in the dozens-to-low-hundreds range over two decades , depending on what you include.

Why there is no exact total

Several factors make a precise answer impossible:

  • Underreporting and gaps in data : Lawyers and advocates say ICE has not consistently or transparently reported all deaths linked to detention, especially over multiple administrations.
  • Different definitions :
    • Official tallies usually count deaths only while physically in ICE custody.
    • Human-rights groups may also count deaths shortly after transfer, release, or deportation, or deaths tied to medical neglect or conditions in facilities.
  • Enforcement incidents outside detention : People killed or injured during home raids, traffic stops, or street operations are tracked through news reports and gun-violence archives, not a unified government database, so the record is patchy.

Even experts who specialize in this area say that “nobody knows” the full true number of people who have died because of ICE custody and enforcement practices.

Recent trend: deaths rising again

In the mid‑2020s, deaths tied to ICE have drawn renewed scrutiny.

  • A 2024 analysis showed that deaths in ICE detention dropped after a pandemic-era high in 2020 but did not disappear , with several deaths each year through 2023.
  • By 2025, reporting described the deadliest year in decades for people in ICE custody , with around 20 deaths that year alone , linked in part to a sharp rise in detention to nearly 60,000 people held at a time.
  • News and advocacy trackers in 2025–2026 describe a growing list of ICE-involved shootings , including a high-profile killing of a woman in Minneapolis during an enforcement encounter in early 2026.

These trends fuel the current debate over how many people ICE has killed and how much responsibility the agency bears for deaths in its custody and operations.

So, what is the best honest answer?

Putting it together:

  • There is no single verified total of “how many people ICE has killed.” Official data is partial, and independent tracking is fragmented.
  • What is documented :
    • At least 50 deaths in detention from 2018–2023 alone, with many more in prior years.
* At least **4 people killed in ICE-related shootings** documented in recent enforcement-tracking projects, plus other deaths in earlier incidents.
  • Real number is almost certainly higher than what is publicly documented, once underreported detention deaths, post-release deaths, deportation-related deaths, and untracked enforcement incidents are considered.

In other words: ICE is linked to many deaths over time, but no one can honestly give a single exact number. Any figure you see online is an estimate shaped by how broadly or narrowly the counter defines “killed by ICE.”

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.