The killings of Alex Preti and Renee Nicole Good by federal immigration agents this month shocked the United States, sparking protests across the country and calls for accountability.
But Preti and Good are not the only deaths related to immigration enforcement.
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Already in 2026, at least six immigrants have died while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, with a seventh shot and killed by an off-duty ICE officer.
Last year, 32 deaths were reported while in ICE custody.
Most of the deaths are due to health complications, but some families of deceased detainees have accused ICE of abuse and medical negligence.
Preeti, a 37-year-old nurse, was killed by an immigration officer in Minneapolis on Saturday morning. Good was shot and killed on January 7, also in Minneapolis, as he tried to flee from federal agents who had surrounded his car.
Here are stories of other people who died related to immigration enforcement:
keith porter
On New Year’s Eve, an off-duty ICE officer shot and killed Porter, 43, in Los Angeles.
The exact circumstances of the shooting remain debated, and no known video of the incident exists.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) described Porter, who was black, as an “active shooter,” but his family insists he simply fired his gun to ring in the New Year, an illegal but widely followed American tradition.
“No parent should ever have to bury their child and we would never wish the pain of this loss on anyone,” Porter’s mother, Franceola Armstrong, said in a statement during an online fundraiser.
“My son left behind two beautiful daughters, ages 10 and 20. They were his rock. Everything he did and every plan he made was for them.”
No charges have been filed in this incident.
DHS accused Porter of firing at officers and claimed the shooting was justified.
Investigators went outside the apartment to investigate the gunshots and encountered Porter, who ordered him to drop his weapon, the department said.
“As the subject refused to comply, the officer fired his weapon defensively at the subject, disarming the subject. The subject fired at least three shots at the officer,” DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin said in a statement.
No ICE officers were harmed in this incident.
Lawyers for Porter’s family questioned the DHS account and asked for proof that the slain father of two fired at officers.
Attorney Jamal Tuson also criticized ICE officers for confronting Porter with weapons instead of involving local police, who are well-trained and familiar with the community.
“If he had been in the apartment for five minutes, Keith would have been with us,” Tucson said at a news conference.
Gerardo Lunas Campos
Earlier this month, ICE announced that Gerardo Lunas Campos, 55, a Cuban immigrant, died on January 3 at Camp East Montana, Texas, the agency’s largest detention facility.
Conflicting details have since emerged about his death, and the coroner ruled it a homicide, meaning death by someone else.
ICE initially announced that Lunas Campos was placed in isolation after he “became disruptive while waiting in line to receive medication and refused to return to his assigned dormitory.”
He then became distressed, the agency said.
“Medical staff responded, initiated life-saving measures, and requested emergency medical services. Ms. Lunas was pronounced dead upon transport,” ICE said in a Jan. 9 statement.
The agency repeatedly emphasized Lunas Campos’ criminal history.
Authorities later changed their story and said Lunas Campos had attempted suicide.
“Mr. Campos violently resisted the security personnel and continued to attempt to take his life,” DHS’s McLaughlin said. “During the ensuing struggle, Mr. Campos stopped breathing and lost consciousness.”
However, an autopsy report revealed that Linas Campos was murdered by someone.
“Based on the results of the investigation and testing, it is my opinion that the cause of death was asphyxia due to compression of the neck and torso,” El Paso County Deputy Coroner Adam Gonzalez said in his report, according to the Washington Post.
“The manner of death was murder.”
Lunas Campos’ three children have filed a petition aimed at blocking the deportation of detainees who may have witnessed the incident, as they prepare to file a wrongful death lawsuit.
“According to witnesses to Mr. Lunas Campos’ death, facility security guards suffocated him,” the petition reads.
Victor Manuel Diaz
Immigration authorities arrested Nicaraguan immigrant Victor Manuel Diaz in Minneapolis on January 6 as part of an immigration crackdown in Minnesota. Eight days later, he died in ICE custody at Camp East Montana, Texas.
“A contracted security guard found Mr. Diaz unconscious and unresponsive in his room,” ICE said in a statement. “He died of an apparent suicide, but the official cause of death is still under investigation.”
But Diaz’s family has doubts about the government’s explanation.
“I can’t believe he took his life,” Diaz’s brother Yoran told ABC News. “He wasn’t a criminal. He was looking for a better life and wanted to help our mother.”
The family has also expressed concerns about the handling of the investigation by authorities.
Diaz’s body was taken to William Beaumont Army Medical Center for an autopsy, rather than to the county medical examiner, according to multiple U.S. media reports.
“Does this mean we’re not going to pick up the body, write an autopsy report, and not let the coroner do that? Then we’re going to have the fox guard the chicken coop,” the family’s lawyer, Randall Kallinen, told local broadcaster KTSM.
“The federal government was in control of where the person was staying and where he was killed. And now the federal government is in control of the information contained in the investigation and autopsy report.”
paradis la
Paradis La, 46, a Cambodian immigrant, had lived in the United States since 1981. He had come to the United States legally as a child, but had lost his green card after being convicted of a crime.
Immigration authorities arrested him on January 6 and sent him to the Federal Detention Center (FDC) in Philadelphia, where he began to show “severe drug withdrawal symptoms,” according to ICE.
“The next day, Mr. La was found unresponsive in his cell. FDC personnel immediately administered CPR and several doses of Narcan, and called for medical assistance,” U.S. officials said.
NARCAN is a drug used for people experiencing drug overdose rather than withdrawal symptoms.
ICE said La was taken to a hospital where he was diagnosed with “anoxic brain injury, post-cardiac arrest, shock, and multiple organ failure” before dying.
But Rahr’s family has voiced skepticism about the level of care he received.
His nephew, Michael Ra, said ICE’s version of the events that led to his uncle’s death “just doesn’t add up.”
“We’re finding that as we continue to fight for information, there’s a level of information that gets locked away,” Michael Ra told Local Public Radio on “Why.” “We’re still fighting for answers and trying to figure out what’s going on.”
Luis Beltrán Yanez Cruz
Luis Beltrán Yanez Cruz, a 68-year-old father of three, had been in the U.S. for more than 20 years when ICE picked him up in New Jersey in November and transferred him to a California detention center.
He died of “heart-related health issues” on January 6 after being taken to hospital.
But his family said he had been unwell for several weeks and was only prescribed painkillers.
“As a father, he was a great father,” his daughter Joselyn Yanez told news website northjersey.com. “As a grandfather, he’s the best grandfather anyone could have. We wanted him to come out of that place and come out alive, but not the way he did.”
Heber Sanchez Dominguez
On January 14, seven days after ICE took Heber Sanchez Dominguez into custody, the 34-year-old Mexican was found dead in his cell at the Robert A. Dayton (RAD) Detention Center in Georgia.
“RAD medical staff found Mr. Sanchas unresponsive in his bedroom at approximately 2:05 a.m. with his neck grabbed,” ICE said in a statement.
Because the details are unclear, Mexican authorities and other authorities are calling for an investigation.
Sanchez Dominguez was arrested in Georgia for driving without a license and transferred to ICE custody.
After Sánchez Dominguez’s death, the Mexican Consulate General in Atlanta said, “In coordination with the relevant authorities in the United States, the Consulate General requests clarification of the circumstances of the incident and is cooperating with any necessary measures to ensure that the investigation is carried out swiftly and transparently.”
The Democratic Committee of Clayton County, Georgia, also called on state officials to pursue an investigation.
“We further demand the immediate release of all records and documents relating to the events leading up to Mr. Sánchez Dominguez’s detention, treatment, and death. Transparency is not optional, but a moral and legal obligation,” the group said in a statement.
Luis Gustavo Nuñez Caceres
ICE announced that Luis Gustavo Nuñez Cáceres, 42, an immigrant from Honduras, died on January 5 at a hospital in Houston, Texas, after being admitted for “chronic heart-related health issues.”
Nunez had no criminal record, but was in the country illegally. ICE arrested him during an immigration raid in November 2025 and transferred him to the Joe Corey Processing Center in Texas.
Following Nunez’s death, ICE said in a statement that it is “committed to ensuring that all persons in our custody are housed in a safe, secure and humane environment.”
“Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment you arrive and throughout your entire stay.”
