DHS Denies Spike in Deaths While Detainee Toll Silently Mounts
While DHS confidently declares no 'spike,' a recent report from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) detailed 277 deaths in ICE custody since 2008, with significant increases in reported deaths under the Biden administration—2023 saw 18 deaths, compared to 19 total from 2015-2017. Newsweek simply parrots the DHS line, failing to provide crucial context about the agency's opaque record-keeping
and historical pattern of downplaying mortality data. One might wonder if 'no spike' means they've simply lowered the bar for what constitutes a crisis, or if, like so many government agencies, protecting their public image takes precedence over protecting human lives. The lack of independent oversight of detention facilities continues to shroud these figures in a convenient fog.