NOT just 2 kids, BUT ** 22 immigrants died in ICE detention centers during the past 2 years

22 immigrants died in ICE detention centers during the past 2 years
An NBC News analysis of dozens of government reports, death reviews and audits of ICE detention centers reveals a system long riddled with problems.
Jan. 6, 2019 / 6:10 AM CST



Jan. 6, 2019 / 6:10 AM CST

By Lisa Riordan Seville, Hannah Rappleye and Andrew W. Lehren

The 22 immigrants who died in the nation's sprawling network of detention centers over the past two years came to the United States from countries as far-flung as Vietnam, and as close as Mexico. Some had been longtime legal residents, arriving as refugees or students. Others were recent asylum seekers. Many were young — half were not yet 45 years old.
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"One death is too many," said Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen during testimony before the House Judiciary Committee on Dec. 20, in the wake of the first child's death.

Nielsen's agency oversees both CBP, which apprehends unauthorized migrants at the border and holds them for short stints, and ICE, which arrests immigrants in the interior of the country, and operates a large network of longer-term detention centers. The DHS detention centers, said Nielsen, have "some of the highest standards in the world."


But an NBC News review of dozens of government reports, death reviews and audits of ICE detention centers reveals a system long riddled with problems. Within the last year, the DHS Office of Inspector General has issued three reports finding poor treatment and spotty oversight in ICE facilities.


While the issues predate President Donald Trump, his administration has expanded ICE's enforcement priorities. Advocates said the rollback of discretion as detention expands puts vulnerable immigrants at risk...........................................

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Image: Roxana Hernandez
Roxana Hernandez, right, a transgender woman who was part of the caravan of Central American migrants, died in ICE custody at a hospital in Albuquerque, New Mexico on May 25, 2018.Annie Rose Ramos