On September 7, 2026, UN High Commissioner Volker Turk called for accountability after 23 people died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody during 2026, citing the highest mortality rate in over a decade. Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights documented the deaths amid concerns over deportations to unsafe countries.
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Volker Turk also called out a range of other US immigration enforcement practices.
A joint report by Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights in June said that the rate of people dying in ICE custody has reached its highest level in over a decade amid Trump's crackdown.
The United Nations rights chief on Monday demanded accountability for swelling numbers of deaths in US immigration custody, and urged Washington to halt deportations to places where people face “irreparable harm”. Speaking before the UN Human Rights Council, Volker Turk highlighted that “four more people have died in US immigration custody since my last update to this council” in June. That meant