Dying in Detention

In September 2025, 39-year-old Ismael Ayala-Uribe died just one month after entering California’s Adelanto ICE Processing Center. He was one of more than 50 people to die in immigration custody during Donald Trump’s first 500 days back in office. His family says he repeatedly complained of intense pain and asked for medical help, but received little beyond Tylenol. When he finally reached a hospital, his heart stopped within minutes. The Trump administration is detaining record numbers of immigrants, and deaths in custody are soaring. Fault Lines investigates failures in medical care and oversight, allegations of retaliation against hunger strikers and the role of private prison companies in the rapid expansion of immigration detention.