00:06By the time this security footage was recorded, Brian Rayo Garzon had been held for nearly
00:11two weeks in a Missouri jail.
00:14The Colombian native was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement after getting arrested
00:18on a misdemeanor fraud charge in St. Louis.
00:22Our routine was to always say goodbye and a prayer.
00:26His mother, Adriana Garzon, said her son had not been allowed to call her for several
00:31days.
00:32He passed a note to guards, writing in Spanish,
00:43Ryo's mother finally received a call, this one notifying her that her 27-year-old son was
00:48in critical condition after a suicide attempt.
00:51Security video shows jail staff and first responders performing CPR.
00:56He was taken to a local hospital and later flown to another where he was pronounced dead.
01:03It was insensitive.
01:05I know they had to give me the news, but to me it felt like they were dumping him.
01:16The Associated Press investigation found that Rayo and at least nine other ICE detainees have
01:21died by suicide since April 2025.
01:24That's an unprecedented spike, even accounting for the rapid growth in the detainee population
01:29during President Donald Trump's second term in office.
01:31The AP reviewed ICE death notifications, autopsy reports, coroner's rulings, and
01:37police and EMS records related to 51 detainees who've died in ICE custody since January 2025.
01:44Nearly one-fifth of the deaths have been classified as suicides.
01:47Like Rayo, most were young Hispanic men who'd been in ICE custody for less than a month.
01:52What also is striking is the sudden trajectory of increase that one sees in the more recent years.
01:59Also, the proportion being so high, you know, essentially one in five deaths from suicide.
02:07Suicide being the most extreme endpoint of a broader mental health concern indicates that
02:15something is going profoundly wrong if that many suicides are occurring as a proportion of people.
02:21The AP investigation found that staff at detention facilities ignored signs of distress,
02:26denied or delayed mental health treatment, and failed to monitor detainees who were already deemed at risk.
02:32In some cases, they moved detainees to isolation cells that experts say can exacerbate feelings of helplessness.
02:38Rayo was placed in medical isolation after he was diagnosed with COVID-19.
02:42The Department of Homeland Security says suicide remains extremely rare during the Trump administration
02:47and that detention staff follow strict protocols to ensure the safety of detainees who show signs of self-harm.
02:53Phelps County had started housing ICE detainees shortly before Rayo was placed there.
02:58Sheriff Michael Kern didn't return messages seeking comment.
03:01DHS says Rayo received high-quality medical care during his time in ICE custody, a point that his mother disputes.
03:07He asked for psychological help. They didn't give it to him. To me, that's negligence.
03:13Rayo had entered the country illegally in 2023, and a judge ordered his removal the next year.
03:18His family said he was trying to save money to hire a lawyer to try to stay in the United
03:22States.
03:23His mother now keeps a candle lit for her son.
03:26Every day we talk about him. Every day.
03:28There is no day where we don't say his name.
03:31Amen.
03:32Amen.
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