"The current conditions within immigration detention centers are creating a public health crisis, with vulnerable populations suffering from inadequate medical care, delayed diagnoses, and preventable deaths."
The Trump administration’s aggressive deportation policies have led to an unprecedented surge in immigration detentions, overwhelming federal facilities, local jails, and private prisons. This dramatic increase in detainee numbers, coupled with systemic understaffing and inadequate oversight, is severely compromising the health and well-being of individuals in U.S. custody. Reports from legal advocates, independent researchers, and congressional investigations paint a grim picture of delayed medical treatment, insufficient care for chronic conditions, and the spread of infectious diseases, raising serious concerns about human rights and public health.
Fernando Viera Reyes, a 51-year-old man suspected of having prostate cancer, exemplifies the dire situation. Reyes was sent to an immigration detention center in the Mojave Desert, California, while awaiting a biopsy for a potential cancer diagnosis. Despite repeated requests for the procedure and the presence of blood in his urine—a potential sign of cancer spread—months passed without adequate medical attention. Kyle Virgien, an attorney with the ACLU’s National Prison Project, highlighted the potential consequences, stating, "It may have gone from very treatable to metastatic." Virgien further emphasized the broader issue: "There are vulnerable populations; it’s overcrowded. There isn’t enough medical attention to manage the increase in sick people."
The strain on the system is a direct consequence of mass deportation efforts, which have resulted in record numbers of individuals held in federal facilities. This surge is straining the limited medical infrastructure within these centers, leading to violations of established standards for medical examinations, routine care, and timely responses to physical complaints. A comprehensive review of over 200 pages of detainee lawsuits, independent investigative reports, academic publications, and recent congressional inquiries reveals a pattern of alleged non-compliance by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC).
These ongoing issues with medical care in detention facilities are intensifying political scrutiny on the Trump administration’s immigration policies. The circumstances surrounding detainee deaths, including the recent tragic murder of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis, have brought renewed attention to the broader implications of the administration’s approach. Democratic members of Congress have actively sought to limit the authority of federal immigration enforcement agents as part of legislative efforts. A proposed 2026 spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) includes provisions to curtail the powers of immigration officials, creating a significant legislative hurdle that could lead to a partial shutdown of the agency.
Despite repeated requests for comment, spokespersons for ICE, IHSC, DHS, and the White House have remained unresponsive to inquiries regarding these conditions. The IHSC, responsible for assessing the health of individuals for deportation, overseeing medical standards in contracted facilities, and reimbursing external medical care, maintains on its website that it "upholds medical care standards in all ICE-owned and contracted facilities and ensures the provision of required medical care for detained aliens." However, the ICE website itself acknowledges that "many aliens may not have received recent or reliable medical treatment for existing conditions prior to entering ICE custody. For some individuals, this may be their first opportunity for access to comprehensive medical care." This statement, while acknowledging the potential for care, contrasts sharply with the experiences reported by advocates and detainees.
Members of Congress, particularly Democrats, have been vocal in demanding autopsy reports for detainees who have died in custody. They have publicly accused ICE of denying immigrants access to necessary medical care. Representative Kelly Morrison (D-Minn.), a physician herself, described conditions at a detention facility she visited in Minnesota as lacking basic medical standards and "real medical care." She expressed her concerns to KFF Health News, stating, "It rings alarms from a medical and public health perspective." Morrison elaborated on the dire environment, noting, "There are no beds, no blankets, minimal food. It’s freezing cold. Everyone is shackled. It’s chaotic, disorganized, and frankly, dangerous."
Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) has also raised alarm bells regarding the medical care provided to detainees. Following a visit to the Dilley Immigration Processing Center in South Texas, she highlighted the substandard treatment, particularly after reports surfaced of a 5-year-old boy experiencing a fever and deteriorating health. Crockett stated at a press conference, "The treatment these individuals are suffering at this moment is worse than those who are accused and sometimes even convicted of crimes. That’s how grave this is."
The Dilley center was recently closed by DHS after two detainees contracted measles, a highly contagious disease. The center houses children, who are particularly vulnerable to severe complications from measles, including encephalitis. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) accused the government of denying entry to Dilley in late January to allegedly conceal the measles outbreak. Similar outbreaks have been reported at other facilities, including three cases of measles at a detention center in Florence, Arizona.
Public concern over the handling of immigration and detention conditions is growing. A recent poll conducted by Siena College and The New York Times indicated that nearly 60% of voters disapprove of Trump’s immigration policies. The type and extent of healthcare services provided to detained immigrants vary depending on the facility. ICE detention standards apply to specific centers, including private prisons that house both inmates and detainees. Separate standards are mandated for facilities primarily housing adult immigrant detainees.
Despite these variations, fundamental standards are expected. Detainees are supposed to receive medical, dental, and mental health screenings upon arrival. They should have daily access to medical consultations for illnesses, 24-hour emergency care, and other services, including preventive care, examinations, diagnosis, and treatment. The National ICE Standards, revised last year, stipulate that these standards are in place "to ensure that detainees are treated in a humane manner; that they are protected from harm; receive adequate medical and mental health care; and receive the rights and protections to which they are entitled."
However, the agency’s alleged failure to adhere to its own regulations places detained immigrants at risk of medical emergencies, untreated chronic conditions, infectious diseases, and death. This assessment is supported by lawsuits filed by advocacy groups, congressional investigations by Democrats, and state reports. The DHS has disputed some of these findings, including a report by Senator Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) concerning pregnant women and children in detention. Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, stated in an August declaration that "ICE detention centers have higher standards than most prisons in the U.S. that detain U.S. citizens. All detainees receive comprehensive medical care and adequate meals." McLaughlin later announced her departure from her role.
Weakened Oversight and Infrastructure Strain
Advocates, legal professionals, and some physicians argue that access to adequate healthcare services has been critically undermined by the surge in detainee numbers, a perceived lack of oversight from the Trump administration, and significant delays in processing medical claims. These factors, they contend, have put detainee care at risk.
Drishti Pillai, Associate Director at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation), noted the exacerbating effect of the detention surge: "The challenges have been compounded because the pace of removals has not kept pace with the arrests. That exacerbates the problem." Pillai added, "There are more public health problems when the facilities are overcrowded."
The number of immigrants in detention has dramatically increased, rising from approximately 40,000 in November 2023 under the Biden administration to a record high of 73,000 in mid-January, according to the American Immigration Council. Concurrently, the Trump administration has been criticized for weakening oversight of conditions and healthcare services within detention facilities. The administration reduced staffing in the DHS Office of the Ombudsman for Immigrant Detention, which effectively ceased most of its operations, according to an analysis by KFF and the Economic Policy Institute. The ombudsman’s mission, as stated by the agency, is to "independently examine immigrant detention to promote safe and humane conditions." Currently, DHS faces a partial government shutdown due to Democratic opposition to a funding bill for the agency. As proposed by Republicans, this measure would eliminate funding for the ombudsman entirely.
Furthermore, significant delays in processing payments for external medical care for detainees have been identified as a major impediment. These delays, according to both advocates and federal officials, jeopardize timely treatment. The Department of Veterans Affairs’ Financial Services Center had a long-standing contract with ICE to process claims for care provided outside detention centers, such as cancer treatments or dialysis. Congressional Republicans criticized this arrangement, arguing it diverted resources from veterans.
In October, the VA ceased processing these detainee claims. ICE documents published on a federal contracting website indicated that this termination "created an emergency" by compromising the agency’s ability to reimburse providers and leaving it without a mechanism for essential services like tuberculosis testing, non-urgent medical transport, and the purchase of medical equipment. Partially redacted documents published in late 2025 on Sam.gov, a federal contract data system, stated, "It is an absolute emergency that ICE obtain immediate support for claims processing because the lack of this support will delay critical medical care… such as dialysis, prenatal care, oncology, chemotherapy, etc."
A new claims processor, Acentra Health, has been contracted, but ICE has indicated on its website that no claims will be processed until April 30. Advocates express concern about whether detainees are receiving necessary external care and note that the protracted delays are discouraging medical providers from offering services to immigrants. Pete Kasperowicz, a VA spokesperson, confirmed, "The DHS has signed a new contract to process these claims and is currently onboarding the provider. In the meantime, the VA is supporting this transition through May to ensure claims are processed properly."
Deaths Under Custody
ICE reports indicate that eight detainees have died in custody so far in 2026, following 33 deaths in 2025 and 11 in 2024. However, some advocates and lawmakers question these figures, suggesting they exclude individuals who died during arrest or while under the care of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Democrats on the House Committee on Homeland Security assert that 53 individuals have died in ICE or CBP custody since Trump took office. They are demanding information from DHS, including autopsy reports, staffing requirements for medical professionals, and video recordings related to a detainee’s death in Texas.
A letter signed by 13 lawmakers on January 22 expressed outrage over these deaths, stating, "It is evident and tragic that ICE is unwilling or unable to provide basic care to detainees." Democrats specifically highlighted the death of Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban national who died on January 3 at a detention facility in Fort Bliss, Texas, after ICE reported a medical emergency. Campos had been in detention for nearly six months. ICE stated in a January 9 release concerning his death, "At no time during detention is emergency care denied to a detained alien." However, the El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office determined that Campos’s death was a homicide resulting from restraint by law enforcement.
Meanwhile, other immigrants continue to await essential medical attention. Reyes, who required a biopsy for suspected prostate cancer, eventually underwent the procedure, but by early February, he had not yet received his results. According to the lawsuit filed in the Northern District of California, he is "in constant, agonizing pain." On February 10, a federal judge ordered ICE and DHS to provide constitutionally adequate medical care to detainees and to conduct external oversight, including on-site inspections of the detention facility. This judicial intervention underscores the severity of the healthcare crisis within the U.S. immigration detention system.