Tragedy and Controversy in ICE Detention: The Death of Lorth Sim

A 59-year-old Cambodian detainee named Lorth Sim passed away in ICE custody in Indiana, marking the seventh such death in 2026. Under Trump's policies, the number of ICE detainees and resultant fatalities has increased. Allegations of inhumane conditions in detention centers persist despite ICE's assurances of proper treatment.

A Cambodian national, Lorth Sim, 59, died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody at the Miami Correctional Facility in Indiana, ICE reported. Found unresponsive in his cell on Monday, his death is under investigation, adding to the seven federally documented detainee deaths in 2026.

Sim's detention follows a broader trend under former President Donald Trump's policies, which have escalated ICE's detainee count to a historic high. The system currently holds about 68,000 detainees, up from 40,000 in early 2017. Critics cite inhumane conditions worsening under these conditions and rising fatalities as major concerns.

Sim, who arrived in the U.S. as a refugee in 1983, was detained last December based on a 2006 removal order. His death follows growing scrutiny and allegations of abuse within ICE facilities, including the recent high-profile case of Cuban detainee Geraldo Lunas Campos, ruled as homicide due to asphyxiation, sparking further debates on detainee treatment.

(With inputs from agencies.)