News Releases

Attorney General Jay Jones Calls on ICE to Reverse Dangerous New Policy   

RICHMOND, Va. -- Attorney General Jay Jones joined a coalition of 22 other attorneys general in urging 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 Jay Jones and the coalition condemn the attempt to reduce transparency and accountability as reports of abusive and unsafe conditions in ICE detention facilities continue to rise. The attorneys general are calling on Secretary Mullin and Acting Director Venturella to rescind the policy and restore prior reporting standards. 

“These systems of accountability exist to protect those who are most vulnerable, and I will not stand by while they get stripped away by those attempting to abuse their power,” said Attorney General Jay Jones. “With the disturbing rise in reports of abuse and death in ICE detention facilities in the recent months, transparency is more important now than ever. This change in policy is an abhorrent attempt by ICE and the DHS to sidestep responsibility for their dangerous actions, and we won’t allow it. The public is demanding transparency and accountability, and as Attorney General that is exactly what I will fight for.”  

ICE is required to comply with national detention standards, which direct detention facilities to conduct initial health screenings, provide necessary medical and mental health care, and maintain safe and sanitary conditions, including protecting detainees from unnecessary uses of force. To ensure that individuals are provided with adequate care and medical attention during detention, Congress has required ICE to investigate and report deaths that occur during detention and has long sought transparency around deaths connected to ICE custody.  Until recently, ICE directors could request reviews of the death of individuals who passed away within 30 days of being released from ICE custody, and as a result, ICE frequently conducted investigations and prepared reports based on its findings following the death of a newly released detainee. 

Attorney General Jay Jones 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. In the letter, 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. 

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, while deaths in ICE custody have risen to historic levels, 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 Jay Jones 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. 

Joining Attorney General Jay Jones in sending this letter, which was led by New York Attorney General Letitia James, are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia. 

Published on: July 6, 2026

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