Report: 66 detainees died in U.S. custody

WASHINGTON, May 5 (UPI) -- A U.S. government agency has provided Congress with the names of 66 people who died in immigration custody, a list shows.

The deaths occurred between January 2004 and November 2007.

The list is the fullest accounting to date of the number of deaths that have occurred under the auspices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, The New York Times reported Monday.

Each year thousands of people who are not American citizens are incarcerated while the government decides whether to deport them.

When things go wrong, the families of detainees often have trouble finding out what happened because no government body is required to keep track of deaths and publicly report them, the newspaper says.

Federal officials say all deaths are reviewed internally but critics, including some in Congress, contend the process leaves too much up to the agency's discretion.

The Times says it obtained a copy of the list after filing a request under the Freedom of Information Act.

The document contains few details and does not provide the nationalities of those who died.