Overview
- The Washington Post obtained an internal memo that acting ICE director David Venturella sent to staff Thursday and DHS confirmed the agency will stop reviewing or reporting deaths that occur after an individual leaves ICE custody.
- DHS said the change returns ICE to reporting only deaths that occur while someone is detained and described the shift as “common sense,” while the agency says it will keep procedures for timely in-custody notification and review.
- Independent researchers and journalists report a sharp rise in detention deaths in recent years, with multiple analyses showing mortality rates climbing steeply from 2023 through 2025 and at least 18 deaths in the first five months of 2026.
- Public-health experts warn that deaths in the weeks after release often reflect missed diagnoses, interrupted medication or care failures inside facilities, so removing the 30-day review will likely lower reported mortality without improving care.
- The change could reduce transparency for families, Congress and the public and complicate oversight of private contractors and detention medical practices that investigators say contributed to recent facility-specific tragedies.