Former Trump administration official Ken Cuccinelli sparked backlash after downplaying the death of a 75-year-old man in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody during a CNN interview with anchor Jake Tapper.
Tapper began the segment by highlighting a report from the Miami Herald, which confirmed that the Cuban-born man—who had lived in the U.S. since 1966—died in ICE custody last month despite having a known heart condition. The man had a criminal record stemming from a decades-old marijuana conviction but had reportedly turned his life around. He was the fifth person to die in ICE custody in Florida this year.
“What are the best ways to prevent incidents like this from happening?” Tapper asked Cuccinelli, who served as acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security and Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services under former President Donald Trump.
Cuccinelli responded, “Well, I mean, he is over 75, so there’s a certain statistical aspect to this,” adding:
“Nobody wants people to die, but we’re all going to. We’re literally talking about a population of 10 to 20 million illegal aliens. As they enter the system, they do receive medical evaluations if they’re being detained long-term. Unfortunately, this individual died while in custody. I’m sorry to hear that, but ICE cannot predict who may pass away during detention.”
Cuccinelli went on to argue that the better solution would be to shorten the detention process altogether. “From the moment someone is picked up to when they’re returned to their home country, ICE should minimize delays and transfers to reduce overall time in custody,” he said. “We need to build a faster, more direct pipeline.”
Trump’s current border advisor, Tom Homan, made similar remarks earlier this week when asked about the same case.
“People die in ICE custody. People die in county jails. People die in state prisons,” Homan said. “The real question is how many lives ICE saves. Many detainees are found to have serious health issues when they enter custody, and we act on those quickly to prevent worse outcomes.”
Advocates have criticized the administration’s tone on such cases, arguing that avoidable deaths in immigration custody reflect deeper systemic problems, including medical neglect, inadequate oversight, and the continued detention of vulnerable individuals with serious health conditions.
