ICE Will No Longer Report Deaths of Recently Released Detainees
· Telemundo McAllen (KTLM)
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will no longer report on the deaths of detainees who have recently been released from its custody, a change that could obscure the total human cost of the mass detention policies under President Donald Trump's administration. This measure reverses a 2021 policy implemented by former President Joe Biden's administration that required ICE to notify Congress and investigate the deaths of detainees occurring within 30 days of their release. The aim of the 2021 policy was to ensure that ICE could not evade accountability for deaths by releasing severely ill individuals. In the past, for example, detainees who were brain dead or suffering from infections died shortly after ICE released them. On Friday, two health experts who have investigated deaths under ICE custody criticized the change. 'Tracking deaths immediately after custody is a standard approach that allows health systems in jails, prisons, and immigration detention centers to understand care deficiencies that may occur before a person leaves a facility,' said Dr. Homer Venters, former chief medical officer of the New York City jail system. 'Eliminating the reporting of these deaths represents a deliberate act of ignoring the most severe health outcomes, which may reflect deficiencies in care or help track outbreaks.'
AI summary · Source: Telemundo McAllen (KTLM) →
