ICE Detainees Allege Widespread Medical Neglect in Landmark Investigation
A sweeping joint investigation by KFF Health News and The Associated Press has uncovered more than 300 sworn allegations of medical neglect across ICE detention facilities in at least 33 states, revealing a healthcare system in crisis as the detained population surges to record levels. Detainees describe untreated cancers, festering infections, denied medications, and a pattern of “brazen indifference” to serious medical needs.
The Scope of the Crisis
KFF Health News and AP analyzed thousands of habeas corpus court cases filed since President Donald Trump’s second inauguration on January 20, 2025, through March 2026. They identified more than 300 specific allegations of delayed, denied, or deficient healthcare in sworn filings — from detainees who say they did not receive medications for high blood pressure, diabetes, epilepsy, Parkinson’s, and HIV, to those whose cancers went untreated and whose infections festered.
The investigation comes as ICE detention numbers have soared. More than 75,000 immigrants were being detained as of mid-January 2026, up from approximately 40,000 a year earlier — a nearly 90% increase. About 70% of detainees have no criminal conviction; their immigration proceedings are civil, not criminal.
Deaths in Custody at 22-Year High
The consequences of systemic failures have been deadly. The Department of Homeland Security reported 51 people had died in detention since the start of Trump’s second term. A peer-reviewed study published in JAMA in April 2026 found an annualized death rate of 88.9 per 100,000 detainees — a 22-year high. ICE reported 33 deaths in 2025 alone, a threefold increase from 11 in 2024.
An AP investigation published in May found detainees are dying by suicide at an “alarming” rate, with suicides spiking to unprecedented numbers. At least 10 detainees have died by suicide since January 2025.
Systemic Breakdown
The investigation reveals a convergence of policy changes and administrative failures that have created conditions conducive to widespread neglect:
The closure of oversight mechanisms has left detainees with few avenues for recourse. The Department of Homeland Security gutted the Office of the Immigration Detention Ombudsman (OIDO) in 2025 and shut it entirely in early May 2026, eliminating the primary federal mechanism for detainees to report medical neglect. DHS blamed Congress for lack of funding.
The termination of the VA agreement created a healthcare funding crisis. The Department of Veterans Affairs abruptly ended its 20-plus-year agreement to process ICE medical reimbursement claims on October 3, 2025, leaving ICE with “no mechanism to provide prescribed medication” and unable to pay for medically necessary off-site care such as dialysis, chemotherapy, and prenatal services. Replacement contracts were signed on October 25 but were not immediately operational, and payments were still not flowing by April 2026.
Mandatory detention policies mean that people with serious medical conditions who would previously have been released on humanitarian parole are now being held for extended periods. More than 40,000 habeas corpus petitions have been filed during Trump’s second term, fueled by decisions to deny bond to many detainees.
Human Toll: Voices from Inside
The investigation documents harrowing individual cases. A Romanian citizen who underwent triple bypass surgery was arrested in July 2025 and, according to court filings, went two days without any of his 16 daily medications. He was hospitalized three times for chest pain before suffering a stroke during a video call with his daughter in August. A federal judge ordered his release in November.
A blind detainee who lost one eye and had severe glaucoma in the other wrote in a court declaration that some days his twice-daily eye drops never came. “Now I can only see a little bit straight in front,” he wrote. “This makes me very afraid that one of these times I am going to open my eyes and not be able to see anything at all.”
Vardan Gukasian, a political dissident and former paramedic who spent years behind bars in Armenia, wrote in a March 2026 court declaration: “I have never seen such disregard or medical neglect like this anywhere.”
Official Response
The DHS acting chief medical officer, Dr. Sean Conley, has denied the allegations, stating in a February 2026 press release: “These allegations of illegal aliens being denied proper medical care in ICE custody are FALSE. It is both policy and longstanding practice for aliens to receive timely and appropriate medical care from the moment they enter ICE custody.” Conley described the care as “better, more responsive healthcare than many aliens have ever received in their entire lives.”
Private contractors operating the majority of ICE facilities — CoreCivic and Geo Group — said they follow ICE standards and provide care when required. CoreCivic spokesperson Brian Todd stated: “Nothing matters more to CoreCivic than the health, safety and well-being of the people in our care.”
What’s Next
The investigation is likely to intensify congressional debate over immigration enforcement funding and detention policies. The surge in habeas corpus litigation and conflicting judicial rulings on mandatory detention may force Supreme Court intervention. Meanwhile, advocates are calling for the restoration of the Ombudsman office and reforms to the healthcare system inside ICE facilities.
As one attorney representing a blind detainee put it: “Before, you could attempt to work with folks on the government side and maybe shame them into doing the right thing. Now, it’s sort of like anything you want done you have to go to court and sue over.”