Immigration-Related Deaths
U.S. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal (D–WA) claims that “we must dismantle ICE” because 45 people have died in “ICE custody” during the “second Trump administration.”
IN FACT, U.S. residents die at several times the rate of people in ICE custody, and deaths related to lax immigration enforcement are at least 90 times greater than deaths in ICE custody. Here are the specifics:
- During the second Trump administration, the average annual mortality rate for people in ICE custody is 70 per 100,000 people at an average age of 45 years old.
- In contrast, the average annual mortality rate for 45-year-olds in the U.S. is about 326 per 100,000 people, or 5 times the rate in ICE custody under Trump.
- An average of 15 people per year have died in ICE custody during the first and second Trump administrations.
- In contrast, an average of 732 people per year died while illegally crossing the border during the 2 years of available data for the Biden administration, or 49 times the deaths in ICE custody under Trump.
- Criminal aliens have committed roughly 611 homicides per year in the U.S. for decades, or 41 times the deaths in ICE custody under Trump.
In summary, failures to enforce immigration laws fuel illegal immigration that kills far more people than the rare deaths in ICE custody.
