Brayan Rayo Garzon felt distressed. After being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), he began his fourth day in isolation at a Missouri jail while battling COVID-19 symptoms. His request for mental health treatment was postponed, and staff denied him his nightly call to his mother to prevent spreading the virus. Rayo pleaded with jailers through handwritten notes to arrange a call with her, expressing that he felt his mother was worrying about him. A guard took the note but found Rayo unconscious in his cell less than an hour later. An autopsy later determined suicide as the cause of death.
Rayo’s death in April 2025 marked the first in a spike of suicides among detainees held by ICE. This has alarmed public health officials and prison experts who noted that the unprecedented number of suicides indicates a lack of proper supervision over thousands of immigrants detained under President Donald Trump’s aggressive deportation policy. The Associated Press found that at least 10 male detainees had committed suicide since Trump took office in January 2025, a rate significantly exceeding the growth in the detained population. From October, seven suicides were reported, marking a record high for any fiscal year since the agency’s inception, compared to the usual one or none annually.
According to Dr. Sanjay Basu, an epidemiologist from the University of California, San Francisco, such a dramatic increase suggests severe issues within the public and mental health systems. “This is one of those sudden and alarming rises,” he stated.
If you or someone you know needs help, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the U.S. is available at 988.
AP found that nine out of the 10 suicides involved Hispanic men from four different countries. One man was a Chinese national. Their average age was 32. Despite Trump’s characterization of those facing deportation as dangerous, seven had no history of violent crimes in the U.S. Suicides represented nearly 20% of 51 deaths under ICE custody since January 2025. Most fatalities were from natural causes, which experts say might have been preventable with timely medical care.
Lynn Bis, Acting Deputy Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, noted that suicides under ICE custody remain “extremely rare.” She mentioned that detention staff follow protocols to protect detainees showing self-harm tendencies and receive annual suicide prevention training. Medical services, including mental health care, are provided to detainees, she added.
Responding to the AP investigation, Colombian President Gustavo Petro urged the country’s foreign ministry to issue a formal protest over Rayo’s death and called for U.S. immigration policy reflection.
Suicides among detainees have highlighted lapses in ICE’s detention system. Factors like stress, fear of deportation to dangerous countries, and isolation due to language barriers contribute to the detainee’s mental health challenges. Many find themselves without legal representation, adding to their sense of helplessness. Experts say that well-administered detention centers should have low or no suicide rates due to staff interventions to identify, care for, and monitor at-risk detainees.
The AP investigation revealed violations of ICE’s own detention standards. The ten suicides occurred across the ICE network, including both long-term private contractors and newly partnered county jails. The staff ignored distress signs, delayed mental health treatments, and failed to monitor those identified as at risk. They also gave detainees access to potentially harmful items.
In some cases, distressed detainees were placed in isolation, exacerbating feelings of humiliation and helplessness. ICE claims that detainees are assessed within 12 hours of arrival for medical, dental, and mental health issues, but reports show three out of nine facilities struggled to meet this standard.
Dr. Homer Venters, former chief medical officer for New York City jails and an adviser to ICE, said the rise in suicides reflects systemic failures in operations and initial detainee assessments that overlook warning signs.
Detainees such as a 19-year-old Mexican caught for a minor traffic violation, a 36-year-old Nicaraguan restaurant worker, and a 45-year-old man with a criminal record are among those who died by suicide. Rayo, who died after pleading to speak with his mother, served in the Colombian Army and was initially detained while participating in the U.S. immigration process. He was arrested for using a stolen credit card and sent to Phelps County Jail in Missouri by ICE.
The spike in detainee suicides underscores systemic shortcomings in ICE’s care and oversight. The detained population saw a 50% rise to 60,000 during Trump’s second term. Suicides occurred in facilities managed by CoreCivic, GEO Group, and others. Officials from GEO Group commented on staff training for suicide prevention, while CoreCivic’s spokesperson expressed deep sadness over detainee deaths. Several jail officials either declined or did not respond to requests for comment.
Cases like 34-year-old Leo Cruz Silva’s showcase acute mental health crises observed during detention. An untreated condition led to his death in Ste. Genevieve County Jail, Missouri. In Pennsylvania, Chaofeng Ge, fraught with mental distress, didn’t receive timely mental health care and resorted to suicide. Attorney David Rankin criticized ICE’s negligence towards detainee safety.
In Texas, Victor Diaz died in isolation after reporting harassment, and Geraldo Lunas Campos’s death was classified as homicide following a restraint incident at Camp East Montana by ICE. An ICE inspection revealed various standard violations at detention facilities where suicides occurred.
Rayo’s last days at Phelps County Jail showed systemic failures. The facility, new to receiving ICE detainees, took 35 hours for an initial health assessment. He had COVID-19 symptoms and expressed anxiety, but was evaluated through a translation device and deemed stable. His mental health appointment was repeatedly postponed, violating ICE standards for timely care.
In isolation for health safety, Rayo couldn’t make nightly calls to his mother, which offered him comfort. As his condition worsened, his pleas to contact his mother were denied. His last written note expressed a wish for the guard to empathize with his position. Within an hour, officials found him unresponsive, leading to a tragic outcome and sparking calls for reformed oversight and detainee care within ICE’s network.