Suicides rise in ICE detention, 911 calls detail serious cases of self-harm

EXCLUSIVEImmigrationImmigrationSuicides rise in ICE detention, 911 calls detail serious cases of self-harmMore than 1,000 emergency calls were made over the last year from at least six detention centers around the country, according to call logs obtained by NBC News.Listen to this article with a free account00:0000:00South Texas ICE Processing Center.Google mapsShareAdd NBC News to GoogleMay 21, 2026, 5:00 PM EDTBy Laura Strickler, Julia Ainsley and Helen GrahamFour days before Christmas at an ICE detention center in Texas, a 33-year-old pregnant immigrant started banging her head against a wall.Subscribe to read this story ad-free Get unlimited access to ad-free articles and exclusive content.Guards tried to get her into a vehicle to take her to the hospital, according to documents obtained by NBC News. She refused.So they called 911. The call was one of more than 1,000 emergency requests over the last year made from six immigration detention centers around the country, and one of 28 involving serious incidents of self-harm, according to detailed logs obtained by NBC News. One man swallowed a razor blade, another drank cleaning chemicals, and at least three cut their own wrists. Such cases are increasingly common as the Trump administration seeks to deport as many immigrants as possible, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement data. They’re also holding detainees longer, and without any possibility for release, a policy that has been challenged and is likely headed to the Supreme Court. The instances of self-harm are a likely undercount; NBC News requested emergency call logs from regions where the 16 largest immigration detention centers are housed around the country. Six jurisdictions located in Washington, California, Georgia, Michigan and Texas responded with detailed call logs.Five deaths by suicide have been reported in detention facilities so far this year, the highest in two decades, and the year isn’t half over yet. Over the four years of the prev...