1. United States
2. Texas
3. Letter

I urge you to immediately demand the restoration of full reporting to Congress on all deaths connected to ICE detention, including those that occur shortly after a person is released. This change weakens oversight, hides the true human cost of detention, and undermines Congress’s constitutional duty to hold the Executive Branch accountable. For years, ICE reported and investigated deaths that occurred within 30 days of release because medical neglect does not always kill someone before they leave detention. Delayed treatment, interrupted medications, untreated infections, missed diagnoses, and worsening chronic illnesses often become fatal only after release. Dr. Sanjay Basu, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, analyzed more than 270 deaths associated with ICE custody. He warned that ending this reporting requirement will simply make mortality statistics appear lower without improving medical care. In other words, the numbers may look better while people continue to die. Congress cannot perform meaningful oversight if critical data is intentionally withheld. The Constitution established checks and balances precisely to prevent executive agencies from operating in secrecy. When deaths disappear from official reports, accountability disappears with them. Independent investigations have repeatedly documented serious deficiencies in medical care, delayed emergency treatment, chronic understaffing, and failures to follow basic detention standards within ICE facilities. The American people deserve transparency, not manipulated statistics. I ask you to immediately demand that ICE reinstate 30-day post-release death reporting, require public disclosure of all deaths connected to detention, hold oversight hearings, and ensure those responsible for negligence or misconduct are held accountable. Democracy depends on transparency. Human life demands accountability. Congress must not allow preventable deaths to be hidden by changing the paperwork.