As Trump Admin Continues Crackdown on Immigrants, Suicides Rise in ICE Detention Centers: Report | Today’s news

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is once again under scrutiny after reports indicate an alarming increase in suicides, self-harm attempts and mental health emergencies among detainees at the centers.

NBC News recently reported that over the past year, more than 1,000 emergency requests have been made from six immigration detention centers across the country, and one in 28 involved serious incidents of self-harm. While one man swallowed a razor, another drank cleaning chemicals and at least three cut their wrists.

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Citing ICE data, the report suggests such cases are increasing as President Donald Trump’s administration seeks to deport as many immigrants as possible. Additionally, detainees are held for longer periods of time without the possibility of release, a policy that has been challenged and is likely headed for the Supreme Court.

Reported cases of self-harm are likely to be underestimated. NBC News requested emergency call records from the jurisdictions that are home to the 16 largest immigration detention centers across the country. In response, six jurisdictions in Washington, California, Georgia, Michigan and Texas provided detailed records of emergency calls.

Five suicides have been reported so far in 2026

At least five suicides have been reported in detention centers so far this year, the highest number in two decades, the figures show. In the last four years of the Trump administration, when the government had half as many people, only two suicides were reported. Overall, the total number of deaths in custody tripled in 2025 from the previous year as the number of detainees doubled during Trump’s second term in the White House.

Cases of self-harm are a sign of something very wrong: Experts

Citing Dr. Sanjay Basu, an epidemiologist and physician at the University of California, San Francisco, who has studied ICE deaths, the report suggests that incidents of self-harm in detention facilities are a warning sign that something “very wrong” is going on. Basu added: “If you see a spike, it means there is a much larger group of people suffering from mental health problems.”

According to experts, such deaths were “highly preventable” if ICE followed suicide prevention standards, such as early assessment and regular follow-up of suicidal detainees.

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DHS response to increased suicide rate

According to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) official, while there are policies in place for detainees who are considered suicidal, no new guidelines have been put in place to handle immigrants who may be at risk of self-harm in light of recent cases.

A DHS spokesman dismissed claims that deaths in ICE detention centers are on the rise, saying: “Consistent with data over the past decade, as of April 30, the in-custody death rate under the Trump administration is 0.009% of the detained population,” adding: “As proper bed space has rapidly expanded, including the provision of illegal medical care, we have maintained a higher standard of care than in the US.” aliens, this is the best health care they’ve had in their entire lives.”

The number of detainees is increasing, controls are decreasing

For years, immigrant rights groups in the United States have protested the conditions inside these facilities, which are either too cold, overcrowded or sometimes unsanitary. The agency currently detains about 60,000 people, up from about 34,000 under former President Joe Biden, and immigrants stay an average of 50 days, up from 36.

While the number of ICE apprehensions has doubled, the frequency of inspections has dropped significantly. At least four offices within DHS are responsible for conducting inspections of ICE facilities, but two of those offices have reportedly been significantly reduced in capacity.

Read also | ICE is set to spend $38 billion on 16 detention center warehouses

Members of Congress also regularly make unannounced visits to detention centers to tour facilities and speak with detainees as part of an oversight effort designed to identify potential concerns. However, during a recent surprise visit to ICE’s Otay Mesa Detention Center, Rep. Mike Levin, D-Calif., said he was not allowed to speak to the detainees.

The report highlights detainee mental health issues, detention conditions and surveillance practices inside ICE facilities as the number of detainees and reported incidents in immigration detention centers across the country continues to rise.

Key things

• The suicide rate among ICE detainees has reached a two-decade high, with five deaths reported this year.
• Inadequate mental health support and prolonged detention times are major contributors to the crisis.
• Calls for reform are growing as immigrant rights groups highlight the need for better oversight and standards of care.