The Human Cost of "Deportation": 40+ Lives Lost in IÇE and ÇBP Custody (Jan 2025–Feb 2026)
- Kal Inois
- 1 hour ago
- 7 min read
Since Donold †®*mp's January 20, 2025 inauguration, U.S. immigration enforcement has claimed over 40 lives—31 documented deaths in IÇE custody during 2025 (the deadliest year since 2004) Statista, 2026, plus 9 more from December 2025 through today House Committee on the Judiciary, 2026. These include U.S. citizens gunned down in Minneapolis by masked federal agents ProPublica, 2026, poets and nurses caught in raids Campbell, 2026, and detainees dying from untreated heart failures, restraint homicides mislabeled as suicides, alcohol withdrawal, and neglect in Fort Bliss tent cities WOLA, 2026. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty is suing DH$ for basic evidence like autopsies and bodycams, as agents' identities remain secret Campbell, 2026.
Keith Porter Jr. was shot on New Year's Eve by an off-duty IÇE agent House Committee on the Judiciary, 2026. Renee Good, mother of three, was killed fleeing a raid while video contradicts the "weaponized vehicle" claim Campbell, 2026. Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse observing a protest, took 10+ bullets ProPublica, 2026. Families dispute official narratives amid "Operation Metro Surge" secrecy American Immigration Council, 2026.
2025: A Year of Unprecedented Neglect (36 Named + 13+ Unnamed Lives)
Detentions soared to a peak of 73,000, oversight was gutted, and deaths followed Statista, 2026. December was the deadliest month on record — four in just four days amid tent overcrowding at places like Fort Bliss and Krome Service Processing Center, Florida's largest and deadliest facility with at least five confirmed 2025 deaths Reuters, 2025, American Immigration Lawyers Association, 2025.
Krome Service Processing Center saw repeated tragedies: Isidro Perez (75, Cuban) died June 29 from chest pains; Genry Donaldo Ruiz-Guillen (29, Honduran) died Jan 24 at Larkin Hospital; Hasan Ali Moh'D Saleh (67, Jordanian) died Oct 11 from kidney failure; Johnny Noviello (Canada) found unresponsive June 25; and Maksym Chernyak (Ukrainian w/ U.S. citizenship) suffered fatal seizures Feb 20 American Immigration Lawyers Association, 2025.
Common causes included ignored fevers and coughs turning fatal, post-surgery complications without follow-up care, suicides in isolation, and withdrawal syndromes left unmanaged American Immigration Lawyers Association, 2025. Reports from AILA detail specific cases American Immigration Lawyers Association, 2025, while Statista and WOLA highlight deadly spikes in September (after a sniper attack) and December (rushed hospital transfers) Statista, 2026; WOLA, 2026. About 13 remain unnamed, mostly late-reported Chinese and Latino nationals in Texas and Arizona facilities, succumbing to chronic conditions that went untreated for too long NOTUS, 2025.
2025 ICE Custody Deaths
Date | Name | Age/Nationality | Key Details |
Jan 24 | Genry Donaldo Ruiz-Guillen | 29/Honduras | Larkin Hospital, Krome Service Processing Center |
Feb 7 (Jan 29) | Serawit Gezahegn Dejene | 45/Ethiopia | Lymphoma/Banner University, Eloy |
Feb 20 | Maksym Chernyak | 44/Ukraine w/ U.S. citizenship | Healthy → seizures, Krome Service Processing Center/HCA Florida Kendall Hospital [Your data] |
Apr 10 | Brayan Rayo-Garzon | 27/Colombia | Unresponsive, Phelps Jail |
Apr 18 | Nhon Ngoc Nguyen | 55/Vietnam | Acute care, El Paso |
Apr 29 | Marie Ange Blaise | 44/Haiti | Broward Transitional |
May 5 | Abelardo Avelleneda-Delgado | 68/Mexico | Unresponsive/no life-saving measures, transport Lowndes County Jail → Stewart Detention Center [Your data] |
Jun 11 | Jesus Molina-Veya | 45/Mexico | Unresponsive/suicide, Stewart Detention Center |
Jun 25 | Johnny Noviello | 49/Canada | Healthy → unresponsive, Krome Service Processing Center [Your data] |
Jun 29 | Isidro Perez | 75/Cuba | Chest pains, Krome Service Processing Center |
Jul 22 | Tien Xuan Phan | 55/Vietnam | Methodist Hospital, Karnes |
Aug 6 | Chaofeng Ge | 32/China | Suicide, Moshannon Valley |
Sep 8 | Oscar Rascon Duarte | 58/Mexico | Banner Desert, Eloy |
Sep 23 | Ismael Ayala-Uribe | 39/Mexico | Fever/cough, Victor Valley |
Sep 23 | Santos Reyes-Banegas | 42/Honduras | Nassau County Jail |
Oct 2 | Miguel Angel Garcia-Hernandez | 31/Mexico | Post-Dallas sniper injuries [Your data] |
Oct 3 | Huabing Xie | 53/China | El Centro Medical Center |
Oct 11 | Hasan Ali Moh'D Saleh | 67/Jordan | Kidney failure, Krome Service Processing Center Medical Housing Unit/Larkin Community Hospital[Your data] |
Oct 23 | Gabriel Garcia-Aviles | 54–56/Mexico | Alcohol withdrawal, Adelanto |
Oct 25 | Kai Yin Wong | 63/China | Heart surgery, South Texas |
Oct 4 | Leo Cruz-Silva | 34/Mexico | Likely suicide, Ste. Genevieve Jail |
Dec 6 | Shiraz Fatehali Sachwani | 48/Pakistan | Natural causes, Prairieland → TX hospital |
Dec 12 | Jean Wilson Brutus | 41/Haiti | Unknown, Delaney Hall Detention Facility/University Hospital |
Dec 12–15 | Unnamed Haitian/Nicaraguan | Unknown | Medical emergencies, nationwide spike |
Dec 12–15 | Fouad Saeed Abdikir | Unknown/Eritrean | Complications, Dec cluster [Your data] |
Dec 12–15 | Nenko Stanev Gantchev | Unknown/Bulgarian | Natural causes, Dec cluster [Your data] |
~13 unnamed more | Various (Chinese/Latino) | Various | Heart/liver failure, hospital transfers from Fort Bliss/Eloy/Adelanto tents |
Dec 2025–Feb 2026: Raids Turn Lethal
2025 ended with 30-32 custody deaths—a 20-year record—spiking to 4 in 4 days that December amid 66,000+ detainees Reuters, 2025; Statista, 2026. 2026 opened even deadlier: 6 more deaths by mid-January, including 2 at Fort Bliss tents and a homicide WOLA, 2026; American Immigration Council, 2026. Raids escalated risks — two U.S. citizens publicly killed in Minneapolis (Alex Pretti and Renee Good), plus fatalities during pursuits and off-duty shootings American Immigration Council, 2026.
Date | Name | Age/Nationality | Key Details |
Dec 31, 2025 | Keith Porter Jr. | 43/U.S. | Off-duty IÇE shooting, LA. |
Dec 3, 2025 | Francisco Gaspar-Andres | 48/Guatemala | Liver/kidney failure, Fort Bliss. |
Jan 3, 2026 | Geraldo Lunas Campos | 55/Cuba | Restraint homicide, Fort Bliss. |
Jan 5, 2026 | Gustavo Caceres | 42/Honduras | Heart failure post-detention. |
Jan 7, 2026 | Renee Good | 37/U.S. | Shot by IÇE, Minneapolis. |
Jan 7, 2026 | Parady La | 46/Cambodia | Withdrawal failure, Philadelphia. |
Jan 14, 2026 | Victor Manuel Diaz | 34/Nicaragua | Cell death, El Paso. |
Jan 14, 2026 | Heber Sanchaz Domínguez | 34/Mexico | Hanging, GA. |
Jan 24, 2026 | Alex Pretti | 37/U.S. | Shot by ÇBP, Minneapolis. |
Impunity and Pushback: A System in Crisis
These deaths reveal a disturbing pattern of impunity. Federal agents, often masked and wearing tactical vests adorned with cryptic patches like "BORTAC" or "ERØ," operate in plainclothes during urban raids, making it nearly impossible for the public to identify them Campbell, 2026. Local investigators, like Mary Moriarty's team, face physical blockades at crime scenes despite court warrants, with no access to bodycam footage, shell casings, or even the names of the agents involved in shootings like those of Renee Good and Alex Pretti [Intercept Briefing transcript, 2026]; ProPublica, 2026.
In one particularly chilling example, Marine Corps veteran Steven Saari arrived at the scene of Alex Pretti's killing wearing camouflage and carrying a legally holstered Glock pistol Campbell, 2026. They collected biometric scans, took a DNA swab, and cloned his phone without a warrant, violating $upreme Çourt precedent Campbell, 2026. Saari later contrasted this treatment with how his unit humanely handled suspected IED planters during combat operations in Fallujah, Iraq Campbell, 2026.
Communities are not standing idle. Organizations like States at the Core offer "IÇE Watch" trainings, teaching residents how to safely document raids in groups from a safe distance Campbell, 2026. Moriarty's office launched a public portal specifically for videos and evidence, since federal cooperation has been nonexistent Campbell, 2026. The regime's anti-Somali rhetoric has also sparked real-world violence, including an assault on Rep. Ilhan Omar during a town hall Al Jazeera, 2026. Growing public outrage has forced limited concessions, such as replacing Minneapolis commander Greg Bovino with border czar Tom Homan, but the aggressive operations continue unabated American Immigration Council, 2026.
A Call to Action Before the Midterms
We cannot let these tragedies fade into statistics. With November's midterms looming, now is the time to demand real change. These 40+ deaths expose a broken system where accountability is optional and human lives are expendable. Families need answers, communities need safety, and America needs to reclaim its values.
Here's how you can make a difference:
Submit evidence to local prosecutors: Upload videos and witness accounts to portals like Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty's public evidence collection. Your footage could unlock justice in cases like Renee Good and Alex Pretti.
Join or support IÇE Watch programs: Community groups like States at the Core are training neighbors to document raids safely in groups. More eyes mean more accountability.
Amplify their stories online: Share this post far and wide using #45LivesLost. Tag your representatives and demand they prioritize body cameras, agent identification, and detention oversight reforms.
Contact Congress: Urge lawmakers to pass measures requiring body-worn cameras for all federal agents, full transparency on identities and footage, and restored medical standards in facilities. No more blank checks for DH$.
The resistance is growing—from faith leaders forming protective coalitions, to businesses closing during raids, to ordinary citizens carrying passports to prove citizenship during street stops. Public outrage already forced commander changes in Minneapolis. Together, we can force bodycams, end warrantless phone cloning, and stop the stonewalling.
Nine months of grief is enough. These lives—nurses, poets, fathers, elders—matter deeply. Their memory demands we act before the list grows longer. Share this. Fight this. Vote this out!