1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I am demanding an immediate, public investigation into the 23+ deaths that have occurred while people were in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). These deaths happened under the authority of the United States government. Responsibility rests at the top. This investigation must include—and hold accountable—ICE leadership and the Department of Homeland Security, including: • The Secretary of Homeland Security • The Director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement • Senior ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) leadership • Officials responsible for detention medical care and private detention contracts What is happening inside ICE detention facilities under their watch? People in ICE custody cannot seek outside medical care. They cannot leave unsafe or abusive conditions. When they die, it is not a mystery—it is a failure of leadership, oversight, and basic human decency. Repeated reports document delayed medical care, ignored emergencies, extreme neglect, and systemic abuse, often in facilities run by for-profit private contractors that ICE and DHS continue to fund and renew contracts with—despite known risks and documented deaths. These are not isolated incidents. They are the predictable result of policies approved and enforced by ICE and DHS leadership, year after year, without consequence. Congress must stop pretending this is acceptable. If dozens of people had died in federal custody under any other agency, hearings would already be underway. The fact that these deaths involve immigrants does not reduce Congress’s obligation—it exposes a profound moral and constitutional failure. I expect Congress to: • Subpoena ICE and DHS leadership by name • Compel sworn testimony regarding each death • Release all medical, incident, and inspection records to the public • Suspend and terminate contracts with facilities linked to deaths • Refer cases for criminal investigation where negligence or abuse occurred Failure to act is not neutrality. It is complicity. A government that detains people and allows them to die without accountability is not enforcing the law—it is violating it. Congress has the power to stop this. Use it. Investigate these deaths. Name those responsible. Hold them accountable—now.