Headline: New York Times, 9/16/2025
The Department of Homeland Security’s assistant secretary for public affairs, Tricia McLaughlin [shown above, dressed for work], said that suicides in D.H.S. custody were “tragic and rare.” She added, “When there are signs of a detainee being at risk for suicide, staff abides by strict prevention and intervention protocol to ensure the detainee’s health and well-being is protected.”
But watchdog groups contend that the handful of suicide attempts they have learned about in recent months are almost certainly an undercount. Immigration lawyers worry about clients who are in distress and stuck in facilities that aren’t responding with proper mental health care.
“I don’t think D.H.S. had or certainly now has good protocols for dealing with people when they express that they’re contemplating suicide,” said Heather Hogan, who previously worked at the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and is now a policy and practice counsel at the American Immigration Lawyers Association. “I am frankly terrified for detainees right now, particularly for people with any mental health condition.”
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