6 People Have Died in California ICE Detention Centers as Trump Deportations Soared | KQED

"The deaths occurred as the Trump administration carried out a mass deportation campaign - starting in Los Angeles - that drove up the population inside detention centers by more than 150%. Eighteen people have died in facilities this year across the country, around one person a week. Since the start of the Trump administration, 48 people have died in detention. A study published last month in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that the current rate is nearly seven times higher than fiscal year 2023 levels at 88.9 per 100,000 people."

"Loba, a transgender woman from El Salvador who was detained at California City for six months in 2025, told CalMatters she experienced traumatizing sexual harassment and intimidation from guards while being housed in the male dorms. She asked CalMatters to only identify her by her first name because she fears retaliation for speaking about the conditions and for her safety in her home country."

"The situation was so stressful, she said, that she finally decided to sign her voluntary departure paperwork to go back home to El Salvador. "That is absolutely the reason," she said. "I have been fighting my immigration case for two years, and then after not being around my community and the lack of support for the LGBTQ+ community inside detention centers, and then being a victim of harassment, it was really intimidating. It was very traumatizing.""

Deaths in immigration detention facilities have increased during the Trump administration’s mass deportation campaign, which raised populations inside detention centers by more than 150%. Eighteen people have died in facilities this year across the country, about one death per week, and 48 people have died since the start of the administration. A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association found the current death rate is nearly seven times higher than fiscal year 2023 levels, at 88.9 per 100,000 people. Loba, a transgender woman detained at California City for six months in 2025, reported traumatizing sexual harassment and intimidation by guards while housed in male dorms. She said the stress and lack of LGBTQ+ support led her to sign voluntary departure paperwork to return to El Salvador.

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