ICE Will No Longer Report Deaths of Detainees Recently Released From Custody

In a memo to staff, acting ICE director David Venturella moved to rescind a 2021 Biden-era policy requiring the agency to report to Congress and investigate deaths that occur within 30 days of a detainee’s release. The earlier rule was meant to prevent ICE from avoiding accountability by releasing gravely ill people shortly before they died. Health experts warned the change will obscure gaps in detention medical care; nearly 50 people have died in ICE custody since the start of the current Trump administration.