I recently argued that the alarming increase in the rate of ICE detention deaths to one death every 6.0 days reflects a deeper pattern of structural violence that is built into the immigrant camp system. But seeing the full picture of why immigrants die, the series of failures, big and small, that lead to death, and how families cope with the loss requires additional careful investigation. That’s why when St. John Barned-Smith and Ko Lyn Cheang of the San Francisco Chronicle published a detailed article that uncovered the backstories of many detention deaths, I was eager to talk with them about their findings.
I hosted both reporters for a Substack Live conversation yesterday, which you can watch above. We talked through their methodology, what they found when they compared official ICE narratives to family accounts and medical records, and what has changed about oversight and accountability under the current administration. Their article is titled “Inside ICE detention centers, medical misdiagnoses and delays prove deadly” and you can read it at the link below.
Their investigation resulted in an in-depth piece of reporting that significantly deepens the public understanding of the full context of ICE detention deaths. Over six months, the reporters obtained death reports, autopsy records, coroner’s investigations, and medical records for all 48 people who have died in ICE custody since January 2025, then sent individual patient records to 14 physicians across relevant specialties for review. In at least 17 of the 32 cases where sufficient documents were available, doctors concluded that medical staff delayed or failed to provide critical care that might have saved the person’s life.
The article does what aggregate data alone cannot do. It shows the series of mistakes and oversights—all a result of a waterfall of politically and economically expedient decisions made by those in power—that led to many of these deaths. For example, Ismael Ayala-Uribe complained of “10 out of 10” rectal pain at the Adelanto detention center and was sent back to his cell with fiber supplements instead of being given a more complete exam. He died from septic shock after a treatable abscess was never diagnosed. Luis Beltran Yanez Cruz told staff he felt like he was suffocating; a nurse sent him back to his cell and told him to return if things got worse. He died two days later from an untreated heart attack. Maksym Chernyak, a Ukrainian refugee, suffered six seizures in front of detention staff before anyone called 911. After fleeing the war in Ukraine and entering the United States lawfully, he died of a stroke that multiple physicians said was preventable.
The SF Chronicle’s findings also document an important change in government transparency, something I’ve been concerned about. St. John and Ko Lyn found that detention death reports have become shorter and less detailed under the current administration, making it harder to evaluate the care people received, and that ICE did not respond to their FOIA request for the more comprehensive internal mortality reviews by the legally required deadline.
I encourage you to read the full article. It is incredibly detailed, includes lots of data, stories, and conversations with medical and immigration experts that deserves a full top-to-bottom read. And when you do click over to the SF Chronicle, remember that the San Francisco Chronicle is exactly what people mean when they talk about regional journalism that punches above its weight. This piece should be read, shared, and cited by researchers, advocates, and policymakers. If you hit a paywall, please consider paying for access rather than clicking away or finding another place to download it. In the absence of any meaningful federal oversight of these facilities right now, this kind of reporting is one of the few accountability mechanisms we have left.
Thank you M Hope, Neil Kozlowicz, Pablo Andreu, and many others for tuning into my video with Sinjin and Ko Lyn Cheang.
