Detainee Watch
In-Custody Deaths
On any given day, about 31,000 people who are not American citizens are held in detention in a patchwork of county jails, privately run prisons and federal facilities while the government decides whether to deport them.
Getting details about those who die in custody is a difficult undertaking left to family members, advocacy groups and lawyers.
As the immigration detention system has ballooned to meet demands for stricter enforcement of immigration laws, Congress has listened to complaints about the secrecy and confusion surrounding deaths in custody. In January 2008, the House passed a bill that would reward states that require jails to report all deaths. But the bill is stalled in the Senate, and even if it becomes law, it will not cover deaths in federal facilities.
Selected Articles on In-Custody Deaths
Ill and in Pain, Detainee Dies in U.S. Hands
Lawyers said their client was denied adequate care in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and they demanded a criminal investigation.
August 13, 2008N.Y. / RegionNews
Few Details on Immigrants Who Died in Custody
Immigration detainees and their families lack basic ways to get information when things go wrong.
May 5, 2008N.Y. / RegionNewsARTICLES ABOUT IN-CUSTODY DEATHS
Federal Report Recommends Improvements in Reporting Deaths of Immigrant Detainees
After the deaths of two immigrant detainees, a review of the cases prompted recommendations for faster reporting of deaths and better sharing of information.
July 3, 2008Dying in Detention
The government should be rushing to improve the oversight and care in its sprawling detention system to protect all detainees.
June 11, 2008Prayers for the Invisible: Immigrants Who Die in Legal Limbo
The immigration detention process is subjected to little oversight or accountability.
May 24, 2008
Information That Doesn't Come Freely
It is increasingly difficult to pry records that should be open out of federal agencies.
May 11, 2008Better Health Care Sought for Detained Immigrants
A bill would require the secretary of the Homeland Security Department to report all deaths in immigration detention within 48 hours to the Justice Department's inspector general as well as its own.
May 7, 2008Death by Detention
As authorities continue rounding up illegal immigrants in these harsh days of ever-stricter enforcement, the potential for abuse will grow largely out of sight.
May 6, 2008Few Details on Immigrants Who Died in Custody
Immigration detainees and their families lack basic ways to get information when things go wrong.
May 5, 2008Gitmos Across America
The Senate immigration bill that is lumbering toward final passage is overloaded with provisions that will make life harsher and more unfair for immigrants.
June 27, 2007New Scrutiny As Immigrants Die in Custody
Lawmakers and government investigators are examining deaths of immigrants who die while in custody as immigration detention system swells to meet demands for stricter enforcement of immigration laws; family members and advocates have difficulty getting information about those who die in custody of immigrant detention, patchwork of federal, private and local facilities; new Immigration and Customs Enforcement report finds that 62 immigrants have died in custody since 2004; immigration officials ...
June 26, 2007
One Immigrant Family's Hopes Lead to a Jail Cell Suicide
Questions are being raised about the treatment in jail of a detained immigrant who hanged himself.
February 23, 2007Deportation Case Focuses on Definition of Torture
A case before a federal court of appeals has linked the Bush administration's methods of interrogating prisoners to a sharp change in the standards of humanitarian law at home.
March 11, 2005After a 'Kafkaesque' Ordeal, Seeker of Asylum Presses Case
Edwin Bulus, who fled Nigeria after members of family were jailed for allegedly plotting coup against military regime, has been detained by Immigration and Naturalization Service since arriving at Kennedy International Airport in May 1995, and his treatment has sometimes been harsh; is accused by Federal Government of entering country with false documents, and has since been denied parole while request for asylum is pending; asylum advocates describe handling of case by immigration service as K...
April 1, 1997SEARCH 12 ARTICLES ABOUT IN-CUSTODY DEATHS:
Multimedia
Detention Map
Explore a Detention Watch graphic showing the locations of immigration detention facilities across the country.
The Death of Boubacar Bah
The story of a man from Guinea who was detained in New Jersey raises questions about accountability and oversight in U.S. immigration detention system.
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