Emergency Calls Detail Desperate Acts
Suicides in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention centers have reached a two-decade high, prompting serious questions about detainee welfare. Five deaths by suicide have been reported in detention facilities so far this year. Over the four years of the previous administration, there were two suicides. NBC News obtained over 1,000 emergency requests made over the last year from six immigration detention centers around the country, with 28 involving serious incidents of self-harm.
Alarming Incidents of Self-Harm
The 911 call logs reveal immigrants resorting to desperate measures. One man swallowed a razor blade, while another drank cleaning chemicals. At least three detainees cut their own wrists. In Texas, a 33-year-old pregnant immigrant began banging her head against a wall four days before Christmas.
Preventable Deaths and Lack of Guidance
Dr. Sanjay Basu, an epidemiologist and physician from the University of California, San Francisco, stated that these deaths were “highly preventable” if ICE adhered to suicide prevention standards. These standards include early assessments and regular monitoring of suicidal detainees. Despite policies for detainees thought to be suicidal, a senior DHS official, speaking anonymously, said no new guidance has been implemented to handle immigrants at risk of self-harm, in light of recent cases.
Conflicting Views on Death Rates
A DHS spokesperson rejected the suggestion of a spike in deaths. The spokesperson said death rates in custody under the Trump administration are 0.009% of the detained population as of April 30. The spokesperson added that ICE maintains a higher standard of care than most prisons that hold U.S. citizens.
Concerns Over Conditions and Prolonged Detention
Immigrant rights groups have long voiced concerns about conditions inside detention facilities, citing overcrowding and unsanitary environments. ICE is currently holding nearly 60,000 people, up from roughly 34,000 during the Biden administration. Detainees are staying on average 50 days, up from 36. Simon Sandoval-Moshenberg, an immigration attorney in Maryland, said one client was released after 11 months.
Lack of Transparency and Oversight
Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., made a surprise visit to ICE’s Otay Mesa Detention Center and was told he could not speak to detainees. Levin was handed a new policy stating that he could not talk to anyone unless he provided the names of detainees two days in advance and obtained a permission form. While the number of ICE detainees has doubled, the number of inspections has dwindled.
Mental Health Crisis Behind Bars
At least 39 emergency calls described inmates experiencing “acute psychosis” and an “altered mental state.” One call from Michigan detailed how a man refused psychiatric medications, wouldn’t eat for eight days and collapsed in his cell. At the same Michigan facility, another detainee, Gabriel Leiva, asked the staff to kill him. Guards put Leiva into solitary confinement where he covered up the window, began “horse kicking” the door and then fashioned his clothes into a noose to kill himself.
Questions Surround Recent Deaths
Victor Manuel Diaz was arrested on an immigration violation in Minneapolis on Jan. 6 and died by suicide eight days later. Another death at the same facility was announced as a “presumed suicide,” but later the local coroner determined it was a homicide. Randall Kallinen, an attorney representing the Diaz family, said family members spoke to Diaz on the phone shortly after he arrived at the detention facility, and he seemed OK. The family has ordered a second autopsy and is now awaiting results.
To seek help, call or text 988 or go to 988lifeline.org to reach the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
