ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL CALLS ON ICE TO REVERSE DANGEROUS NEW POLICY THAT REDUCES OVERSIGHT OF POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CONDITIONS IN DETENTION CENTERS

ATTORNEY GENERAL RAOUL CALLS ON ICE TO REVERSE DANGEROUS NEW POLICY THAT REDUCES OVERSIGHT OF POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS CONDITIONS IN DETENTION CENTERS

June 26, 2026

Chicago - Attorney General Kwame Raoul, as part of a coalition of 23 attorneys general, urged the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to reverse a dangerous new policy ending investigations and public reporting of deaths that occur shortly after people are released from ICE custody.

In a letter to DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin and Acting ICE Director David Venturella, Attorney General Raoul and the coalition condemn the new policy as an irresponsible attempt to reduce transparency and accountability as reports of abusive and unsafe conditions in ICE detention facilities continue to rise. The coalition warns that ending these reporting and investigation requirements could create a dangerous incentive for facilities to release critically ill or mistreated detainees shortly before they die to avoid scrutiny associated with a death in ICE custody.

"Under this administration, deaths in ICE custody have risen to levels not seen in decades," Raoul said. "At the same time, we have seen reporting on deplorable conditions in detention centers, and ICE has rejected external oversight. Now is not the time to reduce transparency and accountability."

Attorney General Raoul and the coalition argue that the administration's decision to stop investigating and reporting deaths that occur shortly after ICE detention reduces the federal government's accountability for conditions in ICE facilities and jeopardizes the safety of detainees.

The attorneys general note that the policy is part of a broader effort to shield ICE detention centers from supervision and accountability as conditions for detainees deteriorate. In recent months, public health professionals and elected officials have been prevented from conducting routine checks on ICE facilities. In detention centers across the country, individuals have reportedly been denied access to adequate medical care and placed in unsafe and unsanitary conditions. Since January 2025, there have been 51 detainee deaths in ICE custody, including Ismael Ayala-Uribe, a 39-year-old man who died from septic shock caused by an untreated abscess after his request for medical treatment was ignored. More than half of these deaths have occurred in just nine of the more than 220 active immigration detention facilities. ICE's own Office of Detention Oversight has determined that five of those nine facilities have deficient medical care.

Attorney General Raoul and the coalition make clear that their states will continue to stand against federal attempts to shield ICE from public accountability. The coalition urges ICE to reverse course on this new policy and to ensure that individuals in custody are treated with basic dignity, humanity and care.

The letter is the latest of Raoul's efforts to hold ICE accountable for dangerous and unlawful actions. On Jan. 12, Raoul filed a lawsuit against DHS and Trump administration officials over the unlawful and dangerous tactics used by CBP and ICE agents in Illinois. Raoul's lawsuit details the various ways the Trump administration has attempted to coerce Illinois over policy differences, including by unlawfully withholding federal funds and attempting to deploy the Illinois and Texas National Guards in the state. In September 2025, DHS deployed quasi-military personnel from CBP and ICE to Illinois, initiating a campaign of violent terror targeted at the state and its residents that involved the fatal shooting of an Illinois resident.

Raoul has joined fellow state attorneys general in several legal challenges against the Trump administration's attempts to unlawfully use Americans' personal data for undisclosed purposes, including immigration enforcement. Raoul and other state attorneys general have also filed amicus briefs in support of challenges to ICE's unlawful tactics.

Joining Attorney General Raoul in sending this letter are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.