This story appeared in The Logoffa daily newsletter that helps you stay informed about the Trump administration without letting political news rule your life. Register here.
Welcome to The Logoff: People are dying in ICE custody at a record rate.
What is happening? Earlier this week, we learned that Royer Perez-Jimenez, a 19-year-old from Mexico, died in ICE custody in a “presumed suicide,” according to the agency. His death is the 13th to be reported in 2026, not even three full months into the year.
News of Perez-Jimenez’s death follows that of Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal, an Afghan refugee who fought alongside US forces in Afghanistan before coming to the US in 2021. Paktiawal, who died on Saturday, was he was reportedly arrested by masked immigration agents while leaving his children at school the day before. His family says they still don’t know why did he die.
What is the context? In 2004 — ICE’s first full year in existence — 32 people died in custody. No other year had more than 20 deaths until 2025, when 31 people died, according to ICE data reported by CBS.
Now, in 2026, ICE has reported more deaths in custody than in the previous 16 full years — and more than three times as many as this time in 2025.
what is the main picture? There are nearly 70,000 people currently in ICE detention, compared to less than 40,000 When Donald Trump returned to office last year.
Increasingly, many of these detainees are now being arrested for immigration violations alone, according to Reuters. Those arrests were a very small group when Trump took office, but now they are more than all the prisoners convicted of crimes and those facing criminal charges.
Many of the detainees are held in poor conditions, where they face overcrowding and unsanitary facilities, lack of services, and allegations of abuse by immigration officials. One prisoner in a notorious camp he told the AP it was “1,000% worse than prison.”
And so, it’s time to leave…
Hello readers – this was a particularly dark magazine, even by recent standards, but I want to stick to our promise to end with something good, important, or otherwise away from the Trump administration. So here it is A great and moving New York Times Magazine storyfrom author and dog runner Blair Braverman. It’s better read than told, so just trust me; you can get it with gift link here. Have a good evening, and we’ll see you here tomorrow!
