Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) will stop publicly reporting deaths of detainees who have recently been released from ICE custody, according to multiple outlets citing internal guidance and related documentation. The change ends a requirement that had been directed during the Biden administration to review and report detainee fatalities, including deaths that occur after a person leaves custody.
ABC News reports that the policy issued during the Biden administration required ICE to cover fatalities even if they happened after release. The Hill and other reports describe an internal memo obtained by The Washington Post that instructs agency employees to stop reporting such deaths. MedPage Today similarly reports that ICE will no longer report deaths of detainees recently released from its custody.
The Winnipeg Free Press, The Independent, and MedPage Today characterize the shift as potentially reducing visibility into detainee fatalities associated with detention policies. Across the accounts, the central points are that ICE is revising reporting practices and that deaths after recent release will no longer be included in the agency’s public reporting approach.
