By Ted Hesson
WASHINGTON, – At least 11 immigrants have died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody from January 2026 through early March, according to ICE. That follows 31 deaths last year, a two-decade high.
Emanuel Cleeford Damas
Died: March 2 at a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona
Nationality: Haitian
ICE took Damas into custody after he was arrested on assault and battery charges in September 2025 in Boston, ICE said. Damas was transferred to the Florence Detention Center in Florence, Arizona. ICE said he reported shortness of breath on February 19 and was sent to a local hospital and then transferred to a Phoenix hospital and placed in an intensive care unit.
He was intubated on a ventilator the following day and died on March 2, with the cause unknown, ICE said. In an interview with the Associated Press, his brother said he had died due to an untreated toothache and related infection.
In response to a request for comment, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security referred to ICE’s public statement, which did not mention any dental issue.
Pejman Karshenas Najafabadi
Died: March 1 at a hospital in Natchez, Mississippi
Nationality: Iranian
Age: 59
ICE took Karshenas into custody in April 2025 after he was convicted of fentanyl possession, ICE said. He had several chronic health conditions but remained detained and was transferred in October 2025 to Louisiana ICE Processing Center in Angola, a facility opened under the Trump administration, according to ICE.
On February 20, 2026, ICE health staff evaluated him again and he was then transferred to a hospital for long-term care, where he went into cardiac arrest on March 1. He was transferred to the Merit Health Hospital in Natchez, Mississippi, where he was pronounced deceased, ICE said.
Alberto Gutierrez Reyes
Died: February 27 at a medical center in Victorville, California
Nationality: Mexican
Age: 48
Gutierrez was arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents in Los Angeles in January, ICE said. He reported feeling faint on February 25 and was admitted to Victor Valley Global Medical Center for chest pain and shortness of breath, ICE said. He became unresponsive and died on February 27, ICE said.
Los Angeles City Council member Eunisses Hernandez said in a statement that her office had been in touch with his family and that he had been denied medical care while in ICE custody.
In response to a request for comment, the Department of Homeland Security said comprehensive medical care is provided to everyone in ICE detention.
Jairo Garcia Hernandez
Died: February 16 at a hospital in Miami
Nationality: Guatemalan
Age: 27
ICE took Garcia into custody after he was encountered by local police near Rochester, New York, on January 21, 2025, the agency said. ICE said he was immunocompromised and was “already in ill health” when he was detained. On February 16, 2026, more than a year after he was taken