By Camilo Montoya-Galvez
Updated May 1, 2026
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement reported the 18th death of someone in its custody so far this year after a 33-year-old Cuban man was found unresponsive at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. ICE said the man, identified as Denny Adan Gonzalez, was discovered in his cell late Tuesday at the privately operated facility. The agency described the suspected cause of death as suicide and said an investigation is ongoing.
The reported death marks the 18th detainee fatality in the first four months of 2026. Last year ICE recorded 31 deaths in its custody, a two-decade high that came close to the agency’s all-time peak of 32 deaths in 2004.
According to ICE, Gonzalez first entered the United States in May 2019 at an official Texas port of entry and was deported the following year. He allegedly reentered in 2022 and was later released by immigration authorities. Local police in Charlotte, North Carolina, arrested Gonzalez in December on assault and domestic violence charges, and ICE took him into federal custody in January. He had remained detained since that time.
The uptick in deaths has occurred alongside an expansion of enforcement and deportation efforts under the Biden administration. ICE’s detained population climbed earlier this year to more than 70,000 people before federal officials scaled back aggressive operations in some cities amid political pushback; the detained population was about 60,000 last month, a level higher than under any previous administration.
A CBS News analysis of government data found that even after accounting for population size, 2025 produced the highest death rate since 2020—about 5.6 deaths per 10,000 detainees. Those who have died in ICE custody this year include an Afghan refugee who worked with U.S. forces in Afghanistan and a Mexican teenager. Many people who died had been arrested by local authorities on a range of charges, including theft, fraud and resisting an officer.
As ICE expands detention operations, advocates and former detainees have reported overcrowding, insufficient medical care and inadequate food at facilities nationwide. ICE has repeatedly denied those allegations and, when announcing deaths, defended its care and conditions. In a statement Friday, the agency said, “ICE is committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments. Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout their stay.”
Julia Ingram contributed to this report.
