A death in ICE custody in California: what families can do

If your family is facing a death in ICE custody in California, we are very sorry. Families often learn of the death days later, from a phone call or the news, and get few answers. Families still have legal options, and some deadlines start running right away.

This guide explains what state inspectors found inside California's immigration detention centers, including the Adelanto detention center, where most recent deaths happened. It covers who can be held responsible, how claims against the federal government and private prison companies work, and what to do now. A lawyer can review your situation for free through our free, confidential review.

What the records show about deaths in ICE detention in California

Facility	Eight ICE detention centers in California, with nearly 10,000 beds (CapRadio, April 2026)
Operated by	All privately operated: GEO Group, CoreCivic, and Management & Training Corp. (MTC)
Population	About 5,337 people on average in April 2026, up 72% from April 2025 (CapRadio); 6,028 at the time of the 2025 state inspections, up from 2,303 in 2023 (California DOJ)
Deaths in custody	2024: 0 (CalMatters) · Sept. 2025 to Mar. 2026: 6, four at Adelanto and two at Imperial (California DOJ) · Apr. to early Aug. 2026: none at California facilities on AILA's list (updated Aug. 3, 2026)
Oversight	California Attorney General inspections under AB 103, yearly since 2017; federal court injunction covering Adelanto (July 2026)

Since 2017, California law has required the Attorney General to inspect immigration detention centers in the state. The fifth review, released in May 2026, covers visits from July to November 2025. It reports that six people died in ICE detention in California between September 2025 and March 2026: four at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, run by GEO Group, and two at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Calexico, run by MTC. That is the most since the state's reviews began. The Attorney General's office found violations of ICE's own detention standards at all seven facilities that were active during the inspections, according to its press release. By contrast, CalMatters reports no detention deaths in California in 2024. The most recent of the six deaths was at Adelanto on March 25, 2026. The American Immigration Lawyers Association's death list, last updated August 3, 2026, shows no later deaths at a California facility. Public lists can lag behind, so this may change.

The rise matches a national trend. Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights counted 39 deaths in ICE detention nationwide from January 20, 2025 to January 19, 2026, the highest yearly count since ICE was created in 2003, and 52 by June 4, 2026. Over the same period, the national detained population grew from about 40,000 to over 71,000.

California's ICE detention centers

The figures below come from the Attorney General's 2026 report, with population counted on the roster date shown. Central Valley Annex figures come from CapRadio.

What usually goes wrong in ICE detention

The Attorney General's 2026 report describes problems that families of people who died often point to:

• Slow or missed medical care. At Adelanto, inspectors found inconsistent responses to medical requests, including emergencies, and inconsistent intake screening. At California City, they found "crisis-level" medical understaffing, with one physician for nearly 1,000 people. At Imperial, they found delays in specialist and chronic care.
• Crowding. Otay Mesa held more people than its maximum ICE beds, and during surges some people slept on the floor.
• Isolation and force. Inspectors described "concerning" pepper-spray use at Adelanto, including against people in mental-health crisis, and people held in restrictive housing for more than 200 days at Imperial.

Federal oversight has also shrunk. Nearly all staff of two Homeland Security oversight offices, the immigration detention ombudsman and the civil rights office, were fired in 2025, according to KPBS.

The Adelanto injunction

In January 2026, Public Counsel, CHIRLA, ImmDef and Willkie Farr filed L.T. v. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, a class action over conditions at Adelanto. On July 16, 2026, a federal judge in the Central District of California issued a preliminary injunction and provisionally certified the class, according to Public Counsel. The court ordered clean water and food, limits on headcount, segregation only for documented security reasons, a medical and disability plan, and two independent monitors. The government appealed. The Ninth Circuit paused the order briefly in August 2026, then lifted the pause on August 20. The trial court issued an amended injunction on September 11, and the appeal was still pending in October 2026, according to Public Counsel's case page. In October, advocates publicly demanded that the order be enforced. The order improves conditions going forward. It does not pay damages to families who lost someone.

Who can be held responsible for a death in ICE custody

• The United States, through the Federal Tort Claims Act (FTCA), for the conduct of ICE and its own employees, such as custody and medical approval decisions.
• The private operator: GEO Group, CoreCivic or MTC. These companies can be sued under California law for wrongful death and negligence. The United States is generally not responsible under the FTCA for a contractor's mistakes, so the company is often a key defendant.
• Medical contractors and staff who provided care inside the facility, under California law.

Federal civil-rights claims are harder here than in a county jail. Claims against federal officers personally (called Bivens claims) are now very limited, and the Supreme Court has barred them against private prison companies and, where state law provides a remedy, their employees. Section 1983, the law used against county jails, generally does not apply to federal officers. In practice, families usually bring an FTCA claim against the United States and a state-law case against the company.

What families have done after deaths at Adelanto

• Martin Vargas Arellano, 55, was held at Adelanto from 2019, contracted COVID-19 there, and died in March 2021. His son sued GEO Group and the United States for negligence and wrongful death. The United States settled in November 2024. On August 17, 2026, the court denied GEO's motion for summary judgment in full, and the case is headed to trial, according to the National Immigration Project.
• Ismael Ayala-Uribe died in September 2025 after about five weeks in custody at Adelanto, according to Human Rights Watch. His family has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit, Scripps News reported. The claims in that suit are allegations that have not been decided.

Recent settlements and verdicts

Few California detention death cases have reached a public result. These are the reported results we could verify in California cases. Both were obtained by other lawyers, and in both the amount was not made public in the sources we reviewed.

We have not found a reported jury verdict against GEO Group, CoreCivic or MTC for a death in a California detention center. The Vargas Arellano case against GEO is headed to trial. Every case is different. Past results, including those listed here, do not predict the outcome of any other case. For results across California jails and prisons, see our jail death settlements and verdicts page.

Hurt in custody, not killed?

Many people leave ICE detention alive but sick or injured: an infection that went untreated, a missed diabetes or heart medication, a fall, or a use of force. These can be medical neglect claims. A person can bring a claim against the United States under the FTCA and a California injury case against the company that runs the facility, under the same two-year rules described below.

Conditions cases, like the Adelanto and California City class actions, seek court orders that change how a facility runs. They do not pay money to one person for an injury. Our guides to medical neglect in custody and being denied medication in custody explain what makes a strong injury case. You can also ask for a free, confidential review.

Deadlines after a death in ICE detention

The rules are different from a county jail case, and they depend on who is responsible.

• Claims against the United States (FTCA). Before suing, the family must present a written claim to the agency, usually on Standard Form 95, stating a specific dollar amount. It must be presented within two years of the death. The agency then has six months to respond. If it denies the claim in writing, suit generally must be filed within six months of the denial. FTCA cases are decided by a judge, not a jury.
• Claims against GEO, CoreCivic or MTC. California wrongful-death claims against a private company generally must be filed within two years. Claims against medical providers can have shorter deadlines and a notice requirement, so do not wait.
• California's six-month claim rule usually does not apply. That rule (Government Code § 911.2) covers claims against California counties, cities and the State. It does not cover the United States or private companies. It can apply if a California public entity was involved, for example if the person was harmed in a county jail before being transferred to ICE. If so, read our guide to the West Valley Detention Center or the San Diego County jails for how that claim works.

The estate can bring a survival claim for losses the person had before death, and close family members, such as a spouse or children, and in some cases parents or others who depended on the person, can bring a wrongful death claim.

What to do in the first weeks

1. Ask for the autopsy or coroner's report from the county where the death happened.
2. Do not sign anything from ICE, the facility operator or an insurer before speaking with a lawyer.
3. Gather what you have: the person's A-number if you know it, dates of arrest and transfer, calls or messages from detention, and names of other detainees who saw what happened.
4. Keep everything, including voicemails, texts, commissary or phone account records, and social media posts.
5. Talk to a lawyer early. We send preservation letters to the operator and the government for video, logs and medical records, and we can start the Standard Form 95 claim.

How LaCour handles these cases

LaCour Trial Lawyers is a trial firm, and a partner leads each death-in-custody case. We take cases across California, and our lawyers speak Spanish. Families who live outside California can contact us. There is no fee unless there is a recovery. Learn more about our police misconduct and wrongful death in custody practice and our overview of deaths in California jails and prisons.

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information about California and federal law and about public records as of its date. It is not legal advice, and reading it or contacting us does not create an attorney–client relationship. Allegations in lawsuits are claims, not findings. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Attorney advertising.