By Ted Hesson
WASHINGTON, March 30 (Reuters) – A Mexican immigrant died in U.S. immigration custody in Los Angeles on March 25, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said on Monday, marking at least 14 deaths in ICE custody in 2026.
Jose Guadalupe Ramos, who was being held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, was found unconscious and unresponsive in his bunk by security staff, ICE said in a press release. The staff called on-site medical personnel and he was transferred to an area hospital where he was declared dead, ICE said.
U.S. President Donald Trump launched a mass deportation effort after taking office in 2025, pledging to detain and deport millions of immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. The number of immigrants in ICE detention has reached record levels, with 68,000 locked up as of early February, despite criticism by opponents who say detention is overly punitive and potentially deadly.
At least 31 people died in ICE detention in 2025, a two-decade high, and the current pace threatens to eclipse that.
Ramos was arrested by ICE in Torrance, California, on February 23, the agency said. He was convicted of possession of a controlled substance and theft of personal property in 2025, ICE said. ICE said an initial health screening when he was taken into custody showed diabetes, high cholesterol and hypertension.
Ramos’ death was the fourth of a detainee held at Adelanto since Trump took office. The other three were also Mexican men.
While ICE has not published official detention statistics in March, the number of people in custody dropped to about 60,000 as of last week, a source familiar with the matter said, requesting anonymity to share internal figures.
A Republican-backed spending bill passed in 2025 gave ICE a massive funding increase that allows the agency to detain more than 100,000 people at any given time.
(Reporting by Ted Hesson; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama, Rod Nickel)
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