Suicide accounts for 2 of 3 deaths of Koreans in ICE detention

Three Korean nationals have died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody since the agency's formation in 2003, with two of the fatalities resulting from suicide, according to the US Department of Homeland Security. Ahn Choung-woong, a 74-year-old Korean man, took his own life at an ICE detention facility in Mesa Verde, California, on May 17, 2020.

His family sued the government, alleging neglect of his suicidal risks which ultimately led to his demise. Ahn's daughter claimed that his mental health deteriorated after learning COVID-19 could exacerbate existing conditions like hypertension and diabetes. One month prior to his death, he expressed severe suicidal thoughts to medical professionals, yet his request to be moved from solitary confinement was denied.

Overwhelmed by his rejection of release on May 11, Ahn ended his life five days later. His bereaved family contends that the facility's management was responsible for his death due to the lack of close observation and appropriate medical and psychiatric care. This legal dispute was settled in June 2025, though the settlement details remain undisclosed.

The other two Koreans who died in ICE custody are Heo, a Korean man who died in 2005 at a detention center in Passaic County, New Jersey, and Kim, a Korean woman who passed away in 2006 at the Metropolitan Detention Center in New Mexico after being transferred from treatment for pancreatic cancer.