A Mexican man died in an ICE detention center, marking the 14th such death this year. Meanwhile, the Mexican government is preparing to assist detainees in filing lawsuits and plans to bring the matter before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced yesterday (30 Mar) that a Mexican immigrant died while in custody at a detention center in Los Angeles on 25 March. This brings the total number of deaths in ICE custody in 2026 to at least 14, drawing sharp criticism from the Mexican government.
The deceased, Mr. Jose Guadalupe Ramos-Solano, aged 52, was found unconscious and unresponsive on a bed at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center by security staff. Medical personnel were called to provide assistance and he was transported to a hospital, where he later died.
A major crackdown on illegal immigration began when U.S. President Donald Trump started his second term in 2025. He pledged to detain and deport millions of undocumented immigrants, leading to a record high of 68,000 detainees by early February. Critics argue these measures are excessively harsh punishments risking lives. In 2025, there were at least 31 deaths in custody, the highest in 20 years, and if this trend continues, the 2026 death toll could surpass previous records.
Jose Guadalupe Ramos-Solano was arrested on 23 February in Torrance, California. He had a prior arrest in 2025 for possession of controlled substances and theft. Initial health screenings before detention revealed he had diabetes, high cholesterol, and hypertension.
Ramos-Solano is the fourth Mexican immigrant to die while detained at the Adelanto detention center since the Trump administration took office. All four deceased detainees have been Mexican men.
The Mexican Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated it will submit documents to support detainees’ lawsuits alleging poor living conditions, inadequate medical care, unsanitary environments, and the use of isolation as punishment in detention centers. The ministry will also raise the issue of immigrant deaths with the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
At a press briefing at the Mexican consulate in Los Angeles, Mexican diplomat Vanessa Calva Ruiz said this latest death is part of a worrying trend of unacceptable incidents that began in 2025 after Donald Trump took office. She described the death toll as reflecting systemic failure, operational flaws, and possibly negligence by officials.
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security disputed claims about detention conditions, affirming that detention centers maintain standards of care higher than most prisons holding U.S. citizens and provide appropriate medical assistance. Authorities are expanding facilities to accommodate more immigrants and noted the death toll is very low relative to the total detainee population.
Although ICE has not officially disclosed the total number of detainees in March, an anonymous source revealed that the detainee count dropped to about 60,000 last week.
However, the 2025 budget law, overwhelmingly supported by the Republican Party in Congress, allocated ICE a substantial budget sufficient to detain over 100,000 immigrants simultaneously.
::