Rep. Gabe Vasquez Demands Accountability Following Alarming Rise in Deaths in ICE Custody

WASHINGTON, D.C. – On January 28, 2026, U.S. Representative Gabe Vasquez (NM-02) called on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to provide immediate transparency and answers following a historic surge in deaths of individuals held in ICE custody.

In a letter sent to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, Rep. Vasquez and other Members of Congress expressed grave concern over reports that 2025 was the deadliest year in ICE detention in more than two decades, with 31 deaths in custody reported. Six additional deaths have already been reported less than a month into 2026. The lawmakers are demanding detailed information on medical care, mental health services, staffing levels, oversight, and steps being taken to prevent further loss of life.

“Being placed in immigration detention should never amount to a death sentence,” Rep. Vasquez and other lawmakers stated in the letter. “The families of those in detention centers, along with the rest of the American people, deserve transparency and accountability now.” 

The letter comes after the third death at Camp East Montana at Fort Bliss in El Paso and follows Rep. Vasquez’s visit to the Otero County Processing Center, where he raised similar concerns about the lack of oversight, increased detentions of individuals with no criminal history, and lack proper conditions and access to medical care. 

Rep. Vasquez is a strong advocate for increased transparency and accountability at the Department of Homeland Security to ensure the agency is fully complying with the law. 

• In January, he also contacted DHS and ICE officials demanding additional information about ICE operations, training, and presence in his district and called for “an immediate, impartial, and transparent investigation” into the tragic killing of Renee Good.
• His Humane Accountability Act would strengthen reporting requirements around DHS encounters, detentions, and removals, expand congressional oversight of detention conditions, and limit the use of non-traditional detention sites such as military bases. 
• He led members from border districts in a letter urging DHS to use the $150 billion provided in H.R. 1, the Republican tax law, to increase border security, improve training, and improve oversight and detention standards across the agency,

###