UN rights chief calls for probe into migrant deaths in US detention centres

The United Nations human rights chief has called for an independent investigation into a sharp rise in deaths in migrant detention centres in the United States. Volker Turk said the increase in fatalities during President Donald Trump's second term raised serious concerns about transparency and accountability. He said the rights of victims' families to truth, justice and reparation must be upheld.

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Turk's statement on Friday cited US government statistics showing at least 19 migrant detention deaths so far this year. The reported death of a Georgian man, Mamuka Artmeladze, in a detention facility in Louisiana on 4 June brought the total for 2026 to that figure. The same figures compared with 33 deaths last year and 11 in 2024, indicating a marked rise in fatalities.

The UN rights chief also referred to concerning allegations about the use of force in detention facilities. He said five of the deaths recorded in 2026 were classified as suicides. Rights groups and immigration lawyers have described the wider pattern as one of systematic neglect, inhumane conditions and abuse, although the statement did not provide details on individual cases beyond the figures cited.

The issue has become more significant as the Trump administration seeks to expand the network of migrant detention centres, including some run by private contractors, while pursuing mass deportations. Trump said in a social media post on Friday that his administration had the highest average daily arrest rate by Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection, including total detention and final orders of removal, than any other president. The competing claims underline the political sensitivity of immigration enforcement and detention conditions.

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The deaths also come against a broader backdrop of scrutiny over mortality in immigration custody. Human Rights Watch said earlier this month that the mortality rate in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody is at its highest level in more than a decade and has more than doubled since Trump's second term began. The group said 52 people had died in detention during the second Trump term, ranging in age from 19 to 75 and coming from 20 nationalities.

Those figures point to a wider pattern that is likely to remain under close legal and political scrutiny. What remains unclear is whether the US government will agree to an independent inquiry or release further details about the deaths cited. Turk's call adds pressure for answers on conditions inside detention centres, the use of force and the handling of deaths classified as suicides.

The next developments are likely to focus on any official response from US authorities and whether oversight bodies or courts are drawn further into the issue.

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