Brayan Rayo Garzon faced deep distress. Detained by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), he spent four days isolated in a Missouri jail, battling COVID-19 symptoms. His request for mental health treatment was delayed, records reveal, and he was not allowed his nightly call to his mother to prevent disease spread.
Brayan pleaded with jail staff in handwritten notes, asking for a conversation with his mother. “I feel in my heart she is very worried about me,” he wrote. A guard collected his note but walked away. Within an hour, jail records show him unconscious in his cell. An autopsy ruled his death a suicide.
Rayo’s death in April 2025 was the first in a surge of suicides among ICE detainees, raising alarm among public health experts and prison specialists. They indicated a marked increase in self-inflicted deaths as a signal of inadequate oversight of tens of thousands of immigrants caught in President Trump’s robust deportation plans.
ICE data and autopsy reports reviewed by the Associated Press found at least ten male detainees had died by suicide since Trump took office in 2025. This rate greatly exceeds the growth in detainee population. Since October, seven suicides occurred, already the highest figure for any fiscal year in agency history. Typically, ICE reported zero or one suicide per year.
“Something is profoundly wrong from both public health and mental health perspectives,” said Dr. Sanjay Basu, an epidemiologist from the University of California, San Francisco. “This is a sudden and alarming spike.”
Editor’s Note: This story discusses suicide. For support, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the U.S. can be reached by calling or texting 988.
Nine of the deceased were Hispanic men from four countries, notes the AP. One was Chinese. The average age was 32. Trump has labeled these deportees “the worst of the worst,” yet seven of the ten had no violent crime history in the U.S.
Suicides formed nearly a fifth of the 51 deaths in ICE custody since 2025. Most deaths resulted from natural causes, often foreseeable with timely medical care, experts suggested. Interim Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, Lauren Bis, asserted that suicides remained “extremely rare” in ICE custody, insisting that protocols are followed for at-risk detainees.
In response to the AP investigation, Colombian President Gustavo Petro urged formal protest over Rayo’s death, suggesting the U.S. reflects on immigration policies that harm both American and Latin American communities.
Suicides among detainees can stem from stress, fear of deportation to unsafe countries, and language barriers. There may also be confusion over complex immigration laws, with most detainees lacking legal representation. Unlike those in the criminal justice system, immigration detention is not designed to be punitive.
ICE becomes accountable for detainees’ welfare, and well-managed facilities should minimize suicides, experts argue. Staff can mitigate suicide risk through identification, care, and vigilance. The AP investigation revealed ICE detention centers repeatedly failed to meet agency standards.
The ten suicides occurred across ICE’s detention network, including long-standing private contractor-run centers and partnered county jails. The AP found staff ignored distress signals, delayed mental health treatment, and neglected already identified at-risk detainees. Detained individuals also reportedly had access to self-harm materials, as per ICE inspection reports.
In some instances, distressed detainees were isolated, worsening feelings of humiliation and helplessness, experts state.
Although ICE claims detainees are evaluated for needs within 12 hours, at least three of nine facilities where suicides transpired struggled to adhere to this standard.
“The surge in suicides reflects systemic failures in detention operations, especially during initial admissions when proper evaluations are crucial,” said Dr. Homer Venters, former medical director of NYC jails.
Among the dead was a 19-year-old from Mexico detained after a minor traffic stop. Another, a 36-year-old Nicaraguan restaurant worker, lost family contact after ICE detained him in Minnesota and relocated him to an overcrowded Texas camp. A third was a 45-year-old with a long criminal record, repeatedly crossing the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.
Brayan Rayo, who died seeking to speak with his mother, formerly served as a Colombian army veteran and street vendor. After his family crossed into the U.S. in 2023, they settled with relatives in St. Louis. Rayo hoped to afford a lawyer to challenge a 2024 deportation order. Records describe him as low-risk, and ICE placed him in Phelps County Jail, 100 miles from St. Louis.
Suicides in ICE’s network expose widespread treatment and oversight gaps, particularly as the detained count surged 50% to 60,000 during Trump’s second term. Five died under CoreCivic and GEO Group, longstanding ICE partners. Another died at a contractor-run camp later replaced. Three died in sheriff-operated jails and one in a federal prison.
“We deeply mourn any death under our care,” stated CoreCivic spokesperson, Brian Todd. GEO Group’s Christopher Ferreira echoed, affirming suicide prevention training and a safe environment. Sheriff officials declined comment or did not respond.
Leo Cruz Silva, a recurrent illegal entrant from Mexico, endured acute mental distress after an arrest for public intoxication last fall near St. Louis. In Ste. Genevieve County Jail, he exhibited severe symptoms, hiding under a bed and reporting hallucinations over two nights. ICE reports tardy antipsychotic medication orders and plans for treatment the next week. Cruz was found dead in his cell on the third day.
Chaofeng Ge succumbed during mental anguish in Pennsylvania under GEO management. With a minor fraud conviction and prior suicide attempt, he received no counseling over five days, impaired by a language barrier. Unmonitored, he was found hanging.
“ICE’s inadequate safety measures are glaring,” critiqued lawyer David Rankin. “The process seems inhumanely harsh.”
At East Montana Camp in El Paso, Victor Diaz, 36, committed suicide in a medical hold room. Relocated to isolation after harassment reports, he died following a suicidal incident last month. Fellow detainee Geraldo Lunas Campos died by asphyxiation, with ICE noting staff restraint during suicide prevention attempts. His death was categorized as homicide, prompting an ongoing FBI probe into the incident.
ICE inspectors’ February visit documented major standard violations in the agency’s largest dedicated detention site at the time. The facility lacked basic self-harm prevention and operational control, with exposed tools posing potential threats. Support records indicate several other detainees attempted suicide there.
Held under contractor Acquisition Logistics, now replaced by ICE, the company evaded comment on inquiry.
Before Rayo’s arrival, Phelps County Jail accepted ICE detainees a month prior. Sheriff Michael Kirn, a Trump-supporting county official, viewed the ICE partnership as financially optimistic.
From the onset, Rayo’s troubles were evident. The jail delayed initial medical and mental health evaluations beyond ICE’s pledged 12-hour window, though he exhibited breathing difficulty and anxiety.
Rayo’s anguish aggravated along with COVID-19 symptoms, leading to isolation. Unable to contact his family, he relied on evening calls with his mother for comfort.
His mother, Adriana Garzon, emphasized his resilience through faith. The isolation barred these calls, heightening feelings of desperation.
Rayo’s handwritten pleas for a call, presumed deciphered with a phone translator, went unanswered. A guard noted intentions to follow up, but guards discovered him unconscious on his cell bed within the hour.
Emergency attempts to stabilize Rayo included hospital transfer. Confounded by the news, his mother received a call about his dire condition and eventual transport to a St. Louis medical facility. The devastating revelation followed: her son had passed away.
This article was translated from English by an AI tool with editorial assistance.