Surge in Suicides Among ICE Detainees Sparks Concerns

Brayan Rayo Garzon felt anxious. Detained by the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), he began his fourth day in isolation at a Missouri prison while battling COVID-19 fevers and chills. Records show his mental health treatment request was delayed, and staff prohibited his nightly call to his mother to prevent disease spread. He begged his jailers in handwritten notes to arrange a conversation with her. “I feel in my heart she is very worried about me,” he wrote. A guard took the note away. Less than an hour later, jail records indicate he was found unconscious in his cell. An autopsy determined he committed suicide.

Rayo’s death in April 2025 marked the first in a wave of suicides among ICE detainees, alarming public health officials and prison experts. They noted the unprecedented number of suicides hints at inadequate oversight by authorities managing tens of thousands of immigrants under President Donald Trump’s deportation strategy. An investigation by The Associated Press found at least 10 detainees, all male, died by suicide since Trump took office in January 2025, a rate far exceeding the growth in detainee population based on ICE data, autopsy reports, forensic findings, and police records. Since October, seven deaths were classified as suicides, the highest figure for any fiscal year in the agency’s history. In general, ICE records zero or one such death annually.

“Something is going deeply wrong from any public health or mental health perspective,” said Dr. Sanjay Basu, epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, and co-author of a study documenting the rise in mortality and suicide rates among ICE detainees. “This is one of those sudden and alarming increases.”

Editor’s Note: This story mentions suicide. If you or someone you know needs help, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline and Crisis Line in the United States is available via phone or text at 988.

Nine of the deceased were Hispanic men from four countries, according to AP findings. One man was a Chinese citizen, with an average age of 32 years. Although Trump has branded those facing deportation as “the worst of the worst,” seven of the 10 had no records of violent offenses in the U.S. The suicides account for nearly one-fifth of the 51 ICE custody deaths since January 2025. Most of these deaths were from natural causes, and experts believe many could have been avoided with timely medical care.

Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Lauren Bis stated that ICE custody suicides remain “extremely rare.” She noted detention staff adhere to protocols to protect detainees showing self-harm signs and that ICE mandates annual suicide prevention training. Detainees receive comprehensive medical care, including mental health services.

Reacting to AP’s investigation, Colombian President Gustavo Petro tweeted on Wednesday that his nation’s foreign ministry should formally protest Rayo’s death and urged the U.S. government to “reflect on how its immigration policy is killing Americans and Latin Americans.” Violations of ICE detention standards were found in the investigation.

Experts note suicide causes are complex, with each death often having multiple contributing factors. ICE detainees experience intense stress following detention, fear of returning to unsafe countries, and frustration and loneliness due to language barriers preventing communication. They may also feel helpless due to the complexities surrounding immigration laws. Unlike those in the criminal justice system, most detainees lack legal representation, and their detention for immigration violations is not intended to be punitive.

ICE becomes responsible for detainees’ welfare when detained, and experts suggest well-managed detention centers should have few or no suicides. This is because staff can take measures to reduce self-harm odds by identifying at-risk individuals, providing care, and closely monitoring them. The AP found ICE detention centers repeatedly fell short of expected standards, violating agency protocols.

An examination of the 10 suicides revealed victims died within ICE’s detention network, including long-standing contractor-run centers and county jails recently partnering with the agency. AP discovered facility staff overlooked distress signs, delayed mental health treatment, and failed to monitor detainees deemed at risk. They also allowed access to materials that could be used for self-harm, according to AP’s review of ICE inspection reports and death records.

In some instances, distressed detainees were placed in isolation, which could intensify feelings of humiliation and helplessness, experts say. ICE repeatedly states it assesses detainees within 12 hours of arrival for medical, dental, and mental health conditions.

At least three of the nine facilities where ICE detainees committed suicide struggled to meet this standard, according to agency inspection reports and jail records. Dr. Homer Venters, former medical director of New York City jails who previously advised ICE on detainee death prevention, described the suicide rise as terrifying.

The increase “reflects failures in the system’s operation, particularly in how detention intake is managed, so individuals are inadequately assessed,” noted the expert. “And then, if initial assessments identify red flags, they aren’t acted upon to reduce the risk of preventable death.”

From Border Crossings to Detention

Among those who died was a 19-year-old Mexican arrested after a traffic stop for a minor infraction while riding his scooter. Another was a 36-year-old restaurant worker who lost contact with his family in Nicaragua after ICE detained him in Minnesota and sent him to an overcrowded Texas camp. A third was a 45-year-old repeatedly crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally with a long criminal record.

Rayo, who ended his life after begging to speak with his mother, was a Colombian Army veteran working as a street vendor in his country. At 26, his family crossed the U.S. border in California a week after his birthday in 2023. Detained for three months, he was later allowed to settle with relatives in St. Louis, records and interviews show.

His mother, Adriana Garzon, recounted Rayo quickly adapted to American life, made friends easily, and worked as a house painter and food delivery driver. He intended to save money for hiring an attorney to remain in the U.S. after a 2024 judge’s deportation order to Colombia.

Arrested in March 2025 by St. Louis police after using a stolen credit card obtained from a friend at a vape store, ICE took him into custody. An ICE record obtained by AP classified Rayo as a manual laborer a low risk to public safety.

ICE placed Rayo in the Phelps County Jail in Rolla, Missouri, approximately 160 kilometers (100 miles) from St. Louis.

The Suicides Reveal Shortcomings Across ICE’s Detention System

The deaths uncovered gaps in treatment and supervision throughout ICE’s system, where detainee numbers soared 50% to reach 60,000 during Trump’s second term.

Five individuals died in centers managed by CoreCivic and GEO Group, longtime ICE detention partners. A sixth died in a camp run by an inexperienced contractor later replaced by ICE. Three died in sheriff-run jails, one in a federal prison.

“We are deeply saddened and take the death of anyone under our care very seriously,” said CoreCivic spokesperson Brian Todd.

GEO Group spokesperson Christopher Ferreira stated the company trains staff in suicide prevention and aims to “maintain a safe and secure environment in compliance with standards and requirements established by the federal government.” Officials from the three jails declined to comment or did not respond to messages.

Leo Cruz Silva, a 34-year-old repeatedly entering the U.S. illegally from Mexico, experienced a mental health crisis after detention following public intoxication arrest last fall in a St. Louis suburb, records show. For two nights at Ste. Genevieve County Jail in Missouri, Cruz yelled, hid under his bed, and reported hallucinations, according to an ICE report on his death.

However, he received no urgent help. A nurse prescribed antipsychotic medication and planned treatment for the following week, the ICE report indicates. On the third day, he was found dead in his cell.

Chaofeng Ge entered ICE custody in mental distress last summer at a Pennsylvania facility managed by GEO Group, following a guilty plea for minor gift card fraud and attempted suicide in state custody, said David Rankin, a lawyer representing Ge’s family. In five days at the facility, he received no mental health treatment nor communicated as no one spoke Mandarin, Rankin said. Ultimately, Ge went unmonitored before he was found hanging in a shower cubicle.

“It’s clear ICE has taken very few measures to ensure these individuals’ safety,” asserted the lawyer. “It seems they want to make this process as cruel and inhumane as possible. It’s completely unacceptable.”

At Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, Victor Diaz, 36, died by suicide in a medical holding room in January, according to an ICE report. After reporting harassment by fellow detainees, he was moved to isolation, the report stated.

Days earlier, Geraldo Lunas Campos died of asphyxiation in the same facility after ICE said guards restrained him following a suicide attempt. A forensic report classified his death as homicide, and Trump administration officials noted the FBI investigates the incident’s circumstances.

ICE inspectors visited the facility in February and documented 49 detention standard violations at what was then the agency’s largest installation for that purpose, their report shows.

The report found staff failed to record “required checks to prevent significant self-harm and suicide,” while inspectors discovered unsecured and uncontrolled tools and equipment throughout the facility potentially usable for harm.

911 calls reveal several more detainees attempted suicide there. At the time of deaths and inspections, Acquisition Logistics operated the facility as a contractor. ICE later replaced the company with another contractor. Acquisition Logistics did not respond to requests for comments.

The detainee spent his final days ill and isolated. Phelps County Jail began receiving ICE detainees a month before Rayo’s arrival. Republican Sheriff Michael Kirn, in a county where voters overwhelmingly supported Trump’s reelection, informed commissioners his department’s budget was strained and partnering with ICE could generate millions in revenue.

Records show Rayo’s issues began immediately. The jail took 35 hours to complete the initial medical assessment ICE promises within 12 hours, according to jail records obtained by AP through public records law.

Rayo experienced difficulty breathing and informed a nurse of his anxiety and desire for mental health treatment. A non-Spanish-speaking nurse used a “handheld translator” for Rayo’s assessment and concluded he denied suicidal thoughts and depression, according to Missouri State Highway Patrol documents collected during a detainee death investigation.

She recommended integration into the general population, stating his physical and mental health were stable, records show, and scheduled a routine mental health appointment.

Two days later, Rayo reported headaches and body aches. Staff learned he tested positive for tuberculosis bacteria exposure. He was sent to a hospital and diagnosed with COVID-19, returning to jail the next day.

The mental health appointment was scheduled and canceled due to “mental health clinic time and staff,” a jail record shows. Two days after, his appointment was canceled again, citing COVID-19 infection.

The delays violated an ICE standard mandating mental health treatment within a week following referral. Bis, the Homeland Security Department spokesperson, said Rayo received “high-quality medical care during his ICE custody.”

To ease his anxiety, Rayo called his mother each night for a Catholic blessing. His mother’s name, Adriana, tattooed on his son’s arm, provided him strength.

As Rayo’s health worsened with nausea, chills, and aches, staff moved him to an isolation cell with concrete-block walls and a ceiling surveillance camera for closer monitoring and disease prevention. He was not allowed to call his mother.

On his fourth isolation day, Rayo slipped two notes under his door, pleading with guards to let him speak with his mom. In one, reviewed by AP, he appealed to the guard’s humanity, writing, “I know you have family and know they care about us,” he wrote. “God bless you.”

The officer, who spoke English, used a colleague’s phone for note translation and wrote in a report that follow-up was planned.

Less than an hour later, guards found Rayo unconscious on his bed with a sheet around his neck. Emergency services attempted resuscitation and transported him to a hospital. It was there a staff member called Rayo’s mother, informing her that her son was in poor condition and being airlifted to a St. Louis medical center. At the hospital, a doctor delivered the devastating news: her son had died.