Chicago – May 27, 2026
An investigation by the Associated Press found a sharp rise in suicides among people held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facilities, with at least 10 detainees dying by suicide since January 2025. According to AP’s reporting, that is the highest rate recorded in ICE’s two-decade history.
The investigation says the deaths occurred across multiple detention centers — including privately run facilities, county jails, and federal institutions — and points to recurring problems such as:
- delayed or denied mental health care,
- failure to properly monitor detainees considered at risk,
- use of isolation or solitary confinement,
- language barriers,
- overcrowding and inadequate screening procedures.
One case highlighted by AP involved Brayan Rayo Garzon, a Colombian detainee held in Missouri. Records reviewed by AP showed he requested mental health assistance while sick with COVID-19 and isolated from family contact shortly before his death.
Experts interviewed by AP described the increase as “alarming” and said it suggests systemic failures in detention oversight and mental health care. A University of California-San Francisco epidemiologist told AP that the spike represented “one of those alarming, sudden increases.”
The Department of Homeland Security said suicide deaths in ICE custody remain “extremely rare,” while private detention contractors including CoreCivic and GEO Group said they follow federal standards and provide suicide-prevention training.
AP’s findings also connect to broader concerns about conditions in immigration detention facilities, including overcrowding and use-of-force incidents documented in other recent investigations.
