Concerns Over Rising Suicides Among ICE Detainees

Brayan Rayo Garzon felt distressed. Detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), he was on his fourth day of isolation in a Missouri jail, battling fevers and chills from COVID-19. Records show that his request for mental health treatment had been delayed. Staff prohibited him from making his nightly call to his mother to prevent the spread of the disease. He pleaded with his jailers in handwritten notes to arrange a call with her. “I feel in my heart that she’s very worried about me,” he wrote.

A guard took the note and walked away. Less than an hour later, the jail records show he was found unconscious in his cell. An autopsy determined he died by suicide. Rayo’s death in April 2025 marked the first in a surge of suicides among ICE detainees. Public health officials and detention experts expressed concern over the unprecedented number of suicides. They said it highlights inadequate supervision for tens of thousands of immigrants under President Trump’s aggressive deportation strategy.

The Associated Press found at least ten male detainees committed suicide since Trump took office in January 2025. This rate significantly surpassed the increase in the detained population, based on reviews of ICE data, autopsy reports, forensic opinions, and police records. Since October, seven deaths have been classified as suicides, the highest for any fiscal year in the agency’s history. Typically, ICE records one or no such deaths per year.

“Something is deeply wrong from any public or mental health perspective,” said Dr. Sanjay Basu, an epidemiologist at the University of California, San Francisco, and co-author of a study documenting increased 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 U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is available at 988.

Nine of the suicides involved Hispanic men from four countries. One man was Chinese. Their average age was 32. Although President Trump described deportees as “the worst of the worst,” seven of the ten did not have a history of violent crimes in the U.S.

Suicides accounted for nearly a fifth of the 51 deaths in ICE custody since January 2025. Most of these deaths were from natural causes. Experts say timely medical care could have prevented many. Lauren Bis, acting deputy secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, stated that ICE custody suicides remain “extremely rare.” She noted that detention staff follow protocols to protect at-risk detainees and that ICE requires annual suicide prevention training. Detainees reportedly receive comprehensive healthcare, including mental health services.

Reacting to the AP’s investigation, Colombian President Gustavo Petro posted on X that the country’s foreign ministry should formally protest Rayo’s death and that the U.S. government should “reflect on how immigration policy is affecting both Americans and Latin Americans.” Violations of ICE detention standards exist, the investigation suggests.

Experts highlight the complexity behind suicides, which often involve multiple contributing factors. ICE detainees report intense stress, fear of returning to dangerous situations, and frustration from communication barriers. They feel powerless due to immigration laws. Unlike those in the penal system, most detainees lack legal representation.

ICE becomes responsible for detainees’ well-being, and experts say properly managed facilities should minimize suicides. Personnel should take steps to mitigate self-harm risks, provide care, and closely monitor risks. The AP found ICE detention centers repeatedly fell short of their own standards. In examining ten suicides, men died across the ICE network, including long-standing private contractor and county jail facilities. The AP found staff ignored signs of distress, delayed health treatment, and failed to monitor at-risk detainees, allowing access to self-harm materials.

Detained individuals were sometimes placed in isolation, aggravating feelings of humiliation and helplessness, experts say. ICE claims to evaluate detainees’ medical, dental, and mental health conditions within the first 12 hours. At least three of the nine facilities related to the suicides faced challenges meeting this standard.

Dr. Homer Venters, former medical director of New York City jails and an ICE advisor on detention deaths, called the rise in suicides alarming. He stated, “The situation reflects operational failures, particularly in initial assessments that fail to adequately evaluate detainees.”

From Border Crossing to Detention

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

Rayo, who died after pleading to speak with his mother, was a Colombian Army veteran working as a vendor. After turning 26 in 2023, his family crossed the U.S. border in California. He was detained for three months before rejoining relatives in St. Louis. His mother, Adriana Garzon, said Rayo adapted quickly, making friends and working as a painter and food delivery driver. He aimed to save money for legal assistance after a 2024 judge ordered his return to Colombia.

He was arrested in March 2025 in St. Louis after being caught using a stolen credit card, obtained from a friend, at a vape store. ICE placed him in Phelps County Jail in Rolla, Missouri, 100 miles from St. Louis. His classification as a low-risk manual worker raised questions about detainee supervision across the ICE network.

The numbers demonstrate deficiencies across ICE’s expanding system, affecting 60,000 detainees during Trump’s second term. Five individuals died in centers managed by CoreCivic and the GEO Group, ICE’s detention partners. Another died in a camp run by an inexperienced contractor later replaced by ICE. Three died in sheriff-managed facilities, and one in a federal prison.

Brian Todd, a CoreCivic spokesperson, expressed sorrow over any detainee deaths. Christopher Ferreira, speaking for GEO Group, reiterated that the company trains staff in suicide prevention. Representatives from the three jails declined to comment or did not respond.

Leo Cruz Silva, a 34-year-old who crossed illegally from Mexico, experienced a mental health crisis following his detention for public intoxication in a St. Louis suburb. Over two nights in Ste. Genevieve County Jail, he screamed, hid under his bed, and reported hallucinations. An ICE report on his death showed delayed mental health help. A nurse ordered antipsychotics and planned further treatment for the following week. By the third day, he was found dead in his cell.

Chaofeng Ge, enduring mental distress under ICE custody in Pennsylvania and having previously attempted suicide, lacked treatment and communication due to language barriers. In five days at the GEO Group-managed facility, Ge was not monitored before being found hanged in a shower stall.

Attorney David Rankin, representing Ge’s family, emphasized that more steps are needed to ensure detainee safety. “Making this process as cruel and inhumane as possible is absolutely unacceptable,” he said.

In Camp East Montana, El Paso, Texas, Victor Diaz, 36, died by suicide in a medical holding room. After reporting harassment, he was moved to isolation, which experts say often worsens feelings of hopelessness. Days earlier, Geraldo Lunas Campos died of asphyxiation after an attempted suicide intervention by guards was labeled a homicide. The Trump administration said the FBI is investigating the circumstances.

ICE inspectors visiting East Montana found 49 violations of standards, including a lack of prevention checks for self-harm and tools and equipment unsecured throughout the facility. Records of 911 calls revealed several more suicide attempts at the camp. Acquisition Logistics operated the facility before ICE replaced them post-inspection. The company did not comment when contacted.

Sick and Isolated in Final Days

The Phelps County Jail began receiving ICE detainees a month before Rayo arrived. Sheriff Michael Kirn explained to local officials that partnering with ICE could bring substantial revenue due to the department’s budget constraints.

Rayo’s problems emerged almost immediately. Records show the jail took 35 hours for Rayo’s initial medical assessment, violating ICE’s 12-hour standard. Rayo reported breathing difficulties and described feeling anxious and in need of mental health support. A non-Spanish-speaking nurse used a “hand translator” and noted Rayo denied suicidal thoughts and depression. She recommended integration into the general population, claiming stable mental and physical conditions, and referred him for routine mental health follow-up.

Two days later, Rayo complained of headaches and body pains. Staff discovered he had tuberculosis exposure and later diagnosed COVID-19. He returned to jail the next day. His mental health appointment was twice canceled due to “clinic and staff time” and his coronavirus infection—violating ICE’s one-week standard for treatment.

Bis, the Homeland Security spokesperson, stated Rayo received “high-quality medical care while in ICE custody.” As a comfort, Rayo called his mother nightly for a Catholic blessing, which she said gave him strength. As Rayo’s health declined with nausea, chills, and pains, staff placed him in an isolated cell with surveillance to mitigate disease spread. Communication with his mother was disallowed.

Four days into isolation, Rayo slipped two messages under the door, pleading with guards to let him talk to his mom. One note, reviewed by AP, appealed to the guard’s humanity. “I know you have family and understand they care,” he wrote. “God bless you.” The guard used a colleague’s phone for translation and wrote in a report his intent to follow up.

Within an hour, guards found Rayo unconscious in his bed with a bedsheet around his neck. Emergency services attempted resuscitation and transferred him to a hospital. A call to Rayo’s mother informed her that her son was critically ill and set for air transport to a St. Louis medical center. There, a doctor delivered devastating news: her son had died.