The United Nations’ human rights chief is demanding accountability after four additional people died in US immigration custody, while urging Washington to stop deportations to countries where migrants could face “irreparable harm”.
Addressing the UN Human Rights Council, Volker Turk said today that “four more people have died in US immigration custody since my last update to this council” in June.
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The latest deaths brought the number recorded in 2026 to “a total of 23”, Turk said, adding that “there needs to be accountability for these deaths”.
US President Donald Trump has placed the fight against illegal immigration at the centre of his second-term agenda. Authorities have arrested thousands of people as the administration expands its network of detention centres.
On Monday, the UN rights chief also condemned other elements of US immigration enforcement, including the return of migrants to dangerous countries and to nations with which they had no meaningful connection.
“I urge the United States to halt the return of people to places where they could suffer irreparable harm, including Haiti, and to ensure due process for all removals to third countries,” he told the council.
Turk also raised concerns over reported plans by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to “equip immigration agents with electric shock gloves”, warning that the move could “increase the violence associated with their operations”.
The proposal, first reported by The Associated Press, would see the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees ICE, spend between $10 million and $20 million on devices described as tools for “distraction and de-escalation”.
ICE has faced mounting criticism over several fatal shootings during enforcement operations, including the January deaths in Minnesota of two American citizens who were taking part in anti-ICE protests.
Opponents have challenged the aggressive methods used by ICE agents to detain migrants, as well as allegations that training standards for new recruits have been weakened.
