Balanced News from the Left, Center and Right

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will no longer report deaths of newly released detainees, returning to standards that existed before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Details: ICE sent a memo to employees on Thursday in which acting director David Venturella eliminated its requirement to report deaths of detainees within 30 days of their release. The memo read, "ICE is returning to the standard practice of reporting deaths that occur while an individual is in agency custody." A Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said it is "common sense" that ICE should not be responsible when an individual passes away "weeks after leaving their custody."

For Context: ICE adopted its policy of reporting deaths of detainees up to 30 days after release in 2021 under former President Joe Biden. The Washington Post (Lean Left bias) noted that the policy came after a detainee contracted COVID-19 while detained and died three days after release. Deborah Fleischaker, a former DHS official under the Biden administration, said that "the policy changed to make clear that ICE should not release people simply to avoid deaths in custody." In 2025, at least 30 people died in ICE custody, the highest number in 20 years, according to The Post.

How the Media Covered It: Washington Post was the first to report this policy change, with fewer outlets on the right covering it than the left. The Hill (Center) included that some critics believe "the revised policy could make it more difficult to identify deaths potentially linked to a lack of medical care received while being detained," noting that ICE "has come under scrutiny" due to the conditions of some of its detention centers. Washington Examiner highlighted that "the issue of detainee deaths has returned to the fore as the Trump administration aggressively implements its immigration agenda."

Written by the AllSides staff (of humans). Learn more. Support our mission. Suggest an improvement to this summary.