Mexican authorities sought details this week of what they say was the death of a Mexican citizen at an immigration detention center in Georgia this week.
The number of people detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the US has increased significantly in recent years, and 2025 was the deadliest year for ICE detainees in two decades, with at least 30 people dying in detention centers.
At least four people have died in ICE custody this year, according to agency data.
On Thursday, Mexico’s consulate in Atlanta said it was “closely monitoring” the death of a Mexican citizen Wednesday at the Robert A. Deyton Detention Facility in Clayton, south of Atlanta, and was maintaining “continuous communication” with the ICE field office in Atlanta.
Officials asked for “clarification of the circumstances of the incident,” the consulate said, adding that it was “cooperating in the necessary procedures to make the investigation quick and transparent.”
The consulate did not release the person’s name, but said it planned to return the person’s remains to Mexico as soon as possible.
CBS News reached out to ICE and the consulate for comment. US officials have not commented publicly on the incident.
ICE has been at the forefront of President Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
More than 68,000 adults were in ICE detention at the end of December, compared with about 36,000 in December 2023, agency data shows.
The agency has come under intense public scrutiny in recent days The fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good An immigration officer in Minneapolis on January 7 sparked protests across the US