Alarming surge in suicides among ICE detainees, investigation reveals

An Associated Press investigation reveals an alarming surge in suicides among Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees, with at least 10 men dying by suicide since January 2025. This pace significantly exceeds the growth of the detainee population, marking the highest number of fiscal year suicides in ICE's history. Experts attribute this increase to failures in oversight and mental health care within detention facilities, where records show staff ignored signs of distress, delayed treatment, and inadequately monitored at-risk individuals. The majority of those who died were Hispanic men, and seven of the ten had no record of violent crimes in the US. ICE maintains that suicide deaths are rare and that protocols are followed, but investigations suggest systemic issues in screening and care.

An Associated Press investigation reveals that at least 10 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainees have died by suicide since January 2025, a rate significantly higher than the growth of the detainee population. This surge, with seven suicides recorded since October, marks the highest number in the agency's history, alarming public health officials and jail experts who believe it indicates a failure in oversight. The investigation found that detainees, predominantly men with limited violent crime records, died across various detention facilities, including those run by private contractors and county jails. Experts attribute these deaths to factors like intense stress, fear of deportation, and inadequate mental health care, noting that ICE detention centers have repeatedly violated their own standards by ignoring distress signals, delaying treatment, and failing to monitor at-risk individuals. Department of Homeland Security officials maintain that suicide deaths are rare and that protocols are followed, but the investigation highlights systemic shortcomings in the care and oversight of detainees.

A 33-year-old Cuban man, Denny Adan Gonzalez, has died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, believed to be by suicide. This marks the 18th death in ICE custody this year and the fifth suspected suicide, according to Physicians for Human Rights. Gonzalez was arrested in December 2025 in North Carolina for assault and domestic violence, and transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Georgia in January. He had previously been expelled from the U.S. but re-entered in 2022. Gonzalez was found unresponsive in his cell and pronounced dead on Tuesday. Monitors suggest 2026 is on pace to be the deadliest year for ICE custody deaths, with immigration detentions increasing significantly under the Trump administration.

A 33-year-old Cuban immigrant, Denny Adán González, died at the privately operated Stewart detention center in Georgia on Tuesday night. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) notified Congress of the death, which is being investigated as a suicide. González was found unresponsive in his living area by facility staff and pronounced deceased after emergency medical services were unable to revive him. This marks the 18th death in ICE custody in 2026 and the fourth suicide at the Stewart facility. González had been previously deported in 2020 and re-entered the U.S. in 2022, subsequently being detained by ICE in January after an arrest for alleged assault and domestic violence.

New South Wales recorded a record 66 deaths in custody and police operations in 2025, an increase of 18 from the previous year. Of the 39 deaths in custody, 12 were First Nations people, also a record high. The state coroner's report revealed that nearly a quarter of prisoner deaths in custody were due to self-harm, primarily hanging, despite significant investment in removing ligature points. Half of the First Nations deaths were attributed to self-harm or accidental overdose, with the remainder from natural causes or unknown. The ongoing program to make prisons safer by removing ligature points was highlighted as continuing.