Reps. Min and Pressley Introduce Bill to Provide Oversight on Deaths Caused by ICE

Washington, D.C. - Representatives Dave Min (CA-47) and Ayanna Pressley (MA-07) introduced the DHS Use of Force Transparency Act of 2026 to ​​increase transparency and government oversight regarding injuries and deaths caused by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) activity. This legislation will address the rising number of individuals who are injured or killed during immigration enforcement arrests or while in the custody of ICE facilities.

This bill follows recent oversight visits Representatives Min and Pressley took to ICE facilities in their communities, seeking answers into the conditions of these facilities.

"2025 was only the beginning of an alarming trend of increased use-of-force incidents by ICE agents and deaths of ICE detainees," said Representative Min. "At least three Americans are dead while numerous others were injured because of ICE and CBP officers' actions, yet barely any data is available. Congress must assert its oversight authority to investigate these abuses and protect Americans from aggressive, inadequately trained officers."

"The lives lost at the hands of ICE agents in broad daylight and behind the walls of inhumane detention centers require full investigations-and our bill would help the truth come to light," said Rep. Pressley. "I'm proud to partner with Rep. Min to introduce the DHS Use of Force Transparency Act to bring accountability and healing to families whose loved ones have been hurt or murdered by ICE agents. We are requiring all DHS evidence related to these harmful incidents be turned over to Congress because Congress cannot conduct oversight when critical evidence is withheld or obscured. We will not stand idly by while rogue federal agents-emboldened by the Trump White House-brutalize our communities and cover it up with lies and confusion."

Since January 20, 2025, records and reporting indicate a marked increase in serious use-of-force incidents, including the discharge of firearms, involving U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and ICE personnel. Additionally, ICE detainee reporting shows 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025, the highest annual total in over two decades; there are six deaths in-custody in 2026 to date. Yet, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies do not regularly publish comprehensive use-of-force or injury data beyond select categories.

The DHS Use of Force Transparency Act of 2026 Would:

• Require the Secretary of Homeland Security, within 30 days of enactment, to provide all documents and materials to the House Homeland Security Committee and the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee relating to:
  • Any DHS officer-involved shooting since January 20, 2025, resulting in injury or death; and
  • Any death occurring in DHS custody since that date.
• Specify that production must include items like:
  • All video/audio footage (body-worn cameras, dash cams, surveillance, drone footage, etc.);
  • Incident and investigative reports (use-of-force reports, internal affairs files, supervisory reviews, medical reports, dispatch logs, etc.); and
• Mandate that DHS produces materials in unredacted form to the maximum extent permitted by law, with any redactions must be accompanied by written justification citing the specific legal authority relied upon.

This bill is endorsed by National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), Center For Law & Social Policy (CLASP), California Immigration Policy Center (CIPC), Advancing Justice Southern California (AJSOCAL).

"Everyone deserves to live in safe communities, regardless of what they look like, the language they speak, or the color of their skin," said John C. Yang, President and Executive Director, Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC. "We cannot continue to allow our government to terrorize and inflict violence on communities with impunity. Our government has used our flawed immigration system to abduct our neighbors, create deadly chaos in our streets and terrorize our schools, churches, and businesses. You cannot create safety through fear, abduction, and zero accountability. By requiring transparency from DHS around the injuries and deaths caused by DHS officials since January 2025, this bill emphasizes that our government is accountable to its people. The DHS Use of Force Transparency Actis a necessary step toward safeguarding human dignity, protecting families, and ensuring our government upholds the rule of law. Asian Americans Advancing Justice | AAJC is proud to endorse this legislation, and we call on Congress to pass it without delay."

"Immigration enforcement under the Trump administration has become violent, deadly, and over-militarized which is why the DHS Use of Force Transparency Act of 2026is a critical safeguard. In the 2026 fiscal year alone, 23 people have lost their lives, and countless others have endured physical and psychological trauma as a direct result of DHS' enforcement practices," said Melissa Shepard, Director of Legal Services at Immigrant Defenders Law Center (ImmDef)." Our communities are living under siege, and none of this makes anyone safer. This legislation brings a level of transparency and oversight that is urgently needed in a system that operated unchecked by the Constitution and unrestrained by basic standards of accountability. We applaud Congressmembers Min, Pressley, Norton, and Swalwell for fighting to hold DHS accountable and for insisting that constitutional rights and human dignity are not optional for DHS."

The full text of the bill can be found here.