More and more deaths in custody Trump's deportation authority is getting out of control

15 people have died in the custody of immigration authorities since Donald Trump took office, and reports of disproportionately brutal operations are increasing. There is political calculation behind this.

According to more and more reports, brutal operations by the immigration police ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) appointed by Donald Trump are on the rise in the USA. In recent months, videos of masked officers forcing suspects into civilian vehicles have gone viral on social media.

A more recent video shows an officer pulling the hair of a woman named Monica Moreta-Galarza, who is clinging to her husband, who is about to be arrested. "Adios, adios," he tells her in Spanish, before grabbing her, pulling her away and slamming her against a wall. Finally, he pushes her to the floor. The couple's crying children witness the incident.

Confronted by CNN about the incidents, the Department of Homeland Security speaks of a "smear campaign". A brutalization in the work of the authorities under its authority is denied.

Ministry: Taking action against the "worst of the worst"

ICE officers are trained to resolve "dangerous situations with the lowest possible level of force" and to prioritize "the safety of the public as well as their own", according to a statement. In any case, the detentions target "the worst of the worst", which is also reflected in the increase in attacks against the authorities.

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One of these "worst of the worst" was Ismael Ayala-Uribe, a 39-year-old employee at a car wash who came to the USA from Mexico with his family at the age of four. He had been granted early recognition status, as children are entitled to, but lost it in 2016 after being arrested for drunk driving.

As Sky News reports, Ayala-Uribe was arrested without warning during a workday in August. He was being held in a privately run detention center - a place used to profit from the fate of migrants.

At least 15 people have died in custody

Five weeks after his arrest, Ayala-Uribe is dead. His health deteriorated drastically and he did not live to see a scheduled operation. According to his family, the 39-year-old's health was normal before his arrest. An investigation has been opened into the case. Ayala-Uribe is one of at least 15 people who have died in detention since Trump took office.

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Not only experts in migration policy issues, but also former employees of the Department of Homeland Security believe there is a connection between the brutal actions of the officers, the poor conditions in the deportation prisons and Donald Trump's migration policy.

Trump has set himself the goal of high deportation figures and has a lot to lose politically if he cannot keep this promise to the right wing of the Republican party. This also means that the president cannot afford to only take action against "the worst of the worst".

Violence does not serve the fight against crime

According to CNN, tensions are also said to have arisen within the authorities due to the immigration authorities' approach. Former Acting ICE Director John Sandweg is convinced that the agency's use of force is no longer intended to fight crime, but to drive up the number of arrests.

Although the Department of Homeland Security is aggressively defending itself against allegations of structural brutalization, it is not immune to public pressure. The officer who so brutally treated Moreta-Galarza in front of her children has been relieved of his "current duties" because his behavior was "unacceptable and unworthy of the men and women of ICE."

It is not known if the man is still employed by the Immigration Department.