ICE detainees dying by suicide at 'alarming' rate, AP investigation finds
An investigation by the Associated Press reveals a troubling increase in suicide rates among ICE detainees, with at least 10 deaths recorded since January 2025. Experts attribute this spike to inadequate mental health care and the stressful conditions faced by detainees. The findings raise concerns about the oversight and treatment of individuals in ICE custody, particularly under the Trump administration's deportation policies.
- ▪Brayan Rayo Garzon died by suicide in April 2025 while in ICE custody after his request for mental health treatment was delayed.
- ▪Since January 2025, at least 10 detainees have died by suicide, a rate that exceeds the growth of the detainee population.
- ▪The majority of those who died by suicide had no history of violent crimes, and many suffered from intense stress and isolation.
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A photo of Brayan Rayo Garzon who died by suicide while in ICE custody in April 2025, is displayed in his mother's apartment in St. Louis, on Friday, May 1. AP-YonhapBrayan Rayo Garzon was distraught. Detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he was on his fourth day of isolation in a Missouri jail as he battled the fevers and chills of COVID-19.His request for mental health treatment had been put off, records show, and staff had forbidden Rayo from making his nightly call to his mother as a precaution intended to prevent the spread of illness.He pleaded with his jailers in handwritten notes to arrange a conversation with her. “I feel in my heart that she’s very worried about me,” he wrote in Spanish.A guard collected the note and walked away.
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Excerpt limited to ~120 words for fair-use compliance. The full article is at Korea Times.
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