Mexican Man Found Dead in Bunk at Adelanto ICE Facility, the 14th Person to Die in Immigration Custody in 2026 as Mexico Demands Investigation

A 36-year-old Mexican national was found unconscious in his bunk at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California on March 25, 2026, and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital the same day, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Monday. His death is the 14th in ICE custody in 2026—a pace experts say could make this the agency’s deadliest year.

Jose Guadalupe Ramos-Solano was pronounced dead at 9:29 p.m. on March 25, 2026, at Victor Valley Global Medical Center in Victorville, California, according to ICE. Earlier that evening, Adelanto security staff found him unresponsive, performed CPR, and summoned emergency services, who provided advanced life support and took him to the hospital. ICE has not stated a cause of death.

The Mexican government released statements in response to the incident. President Claudia Sheinbaum stated that her administration would formally address the death of another Mexican citizen in U.S. immigration custody, according to Al Jazeera and the Jerusalem Post. Mexico’s Foreign Minister Juan Ramon de la Fuente described the deaths of Mexican nationals in ICE detention as “unacceptable” and said Mexico expects the United States to clarify the circumstances, determine responsibility, and implement measures to prevent recurrence, as reported by Latin Times.

Ramos-Solano was arrested by Redondo Beach Police on May 6, 2025, and convicted by the Los Angeles Superior Court for possession of a controlled substance and theft of personal property on August 21, 2025. ICE detained him during a targeted operation in Torrance, California, on February 23, 2026, and transferred him to the Adelanto facility the next day.

Upon arrival, a health screening identified diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. ICE stated he received daily medication and ongoing medical care in custody. The agency has not said if these conditions contributed to his death.

Ramos-Solano’s death is the fourth at the Adelanto facility since President Trump took office. The three previous detainees who died at Adelanto were also Mexican men, Reuters reported. The Adelanto ICE Processing Center is located in San Bernardino County. It is operated by The GEO Group, a private, for-profit prison company.

The pace of deaths in ICE custody in 2026 has drawn intensifying scrutiny from lawmakers, advocates, and the Mexican government. This concern is heightened by the fact that at least 31 people died in ICE detention in 2025, which was a two-decade high. Now, as of March 29, 2026, 14 deaths have already been recorded in fewer than three months, putting this year on track to surpass 2025’s figure, Reuters reported.

The broader picture is even more alarming. On Monday, March 29, ABC News reported that as of that date, at least 45 people had died in government immigration custody during the current Trump administration. Notably, two of those deaths resulted from a shooting at a Dallas detention facility in September 2025. Furthermore, ABC News calculated that the mortality rate within federal immigration facilities has accelerated sharply, using a methodology that accounts for the rising detention population—meaning the increase in deaths is not simply a function of more people being held.

Aaron Reichlin-Melnick, an immigration policy expert, told ABC News that 2026 stands out. “There is really no contest—fiscal year 2026 is on track to be the deadliest year ever in ICE’s history,” he said. “Things are dramatically worse this year. We are seeing more deaths than ever.”

The rising death toll comes against the backdrop of an immigration detention system that has expanded to historic proportions. According to Reuters, the number of immigrants held in ICE detention reached approximately 68,000 as of early February 2026. Although ICE has not published official detention statistics for March, a source familiar with internal figures told Reuters the number had dropped to roughly 60,000 as of the week of March 22, 2026. Meanwhile, ABC News reported that the actual detained population has recently exceeded 70,000.

A Republican-backed spending bill passed in 2025 provided ICE with a massive funding increase, enabling the agency to detain more than 100,000 people at any given time, Reuters reported. The Trump administration has also expanded detention capacity by converting warehouses and other non-traditional spaces into detention facilities, according to ABC News.

The deaths in ICE custody in 2026 have occurred at multiple facilities and have involved individuals from various nationalities and circumstances. These incidents include detainees with chronic medical conditions whose families allege inadequate care, such as Emmanuel Cleeford Damas, a 56-year-old Haitian man from Dorchester, Massachusetts. He died on March 2 at a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona, after his family reported that an untreated toothache progressed to septic shock.

ABC News also reported that at least three or four deaths by suicide have occurred in ICE custody in 2026, including the death of a 19-year-old Mexican detainee. In another instance, the death of Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban immigrant who died in January at a facility in Montana, was initially described by DHS as resulting from “medical distress.” The El Paso County Medical Examiner later ruled the cause as homicide due to asphyxia related to neck and torso compression, according to ABC News.

Responding to these concerns, ICE said it “is committed to ensuring all those in custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments.” The agency notified the DHS Office of Inspector General and its own Office of Professional Responsibility, as required by policy. His death, like all in-custody fatalities, must be publicly reported within 90 days under the DHS Appropriations Act of 2018.

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Source: Reuters