According to Democrat Pramila Jayapal, a woman detained in Arizona by the US Border Patrol for overstaying her visa, died by suicide.
The 52-year-old Chinese woman was first greeted in California after being determined to have overstayed a B1/B2 visitor visa, Jayapal said in a statement. She was later sent to Yuma Station in Arizona, where she stayed until her death on March 29th.
The Tucson Sentinel first reported the woman’s death, saying that Border Patrol officials had not followed internal policies regarding publicly admitting someone’s death in custody, and later provided a statement only after the Sentinel made inquiries.
In a social media post, Yumasector’s Border Patrol reported that two 38-year-old men and women, both Chinese citizens, were arrested on March 26 at a vehicle stop near Needles, California. The agent seized more than $220,000 in two duffel bags wrapped in aluminum foil.
Jayapal said the “first report” suggests that Border Patrol agents were unable to carry out the necessary welfare checks prior to the woman’s death.
“When customs and border security (CBP) agents detain a person, they are responsible for their well-being, total suspension,” Jayapal’s statement read. “This detainee died from suicide and the initial report indicates that certain CBP procedures are not implemented to ensure that the safety and welfare of individuals in custody are not implemented.”
Jayapal, a ranking member of the House subcommittee, oversees immigration, but while welfare checks are being recorded, officials investigating the deaths said they could not confirm whether the check actually happened.
Surveillance footage shows the woman creating a rope and tying it around her neck, but no medical response occurred for nearly two hours, according to a statement from Jayapal.
“As CBP’s Office of Expert Responsibility (OPR) is investigating this death, we must provide answers on why these welfare checks were not incorrectly recorded and why this woman was able to die by suicide without the intervention of security guards,” Jayapal said.
She further expressed concern over the conditions of detention facilities amid the second Trump administration’s immigration crackdown in the first three months.
The lawmaker said the report consistently demonstrates that it has not reached the obligation to “treat all detained people with dignity and fairness.”
A Border Patrol spokesperson told the Tucson Sentinel on March 29 that it was found out that Yuma Border Patrol was “not responding in the cell.” Border Patrol staff provided medical assistance to the woman before emergency medical services took her to the hospital, where she was declared dead, a spokesman told the Sentinel.
“All internal deaths are tragic, taken seriously and thoroughly investigated by the CBP,” the spokesman said.
In the US, you can connect with crisis counselors by calling or texting the 988 National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, chatting at 988lifeline.org, or texting to the 741741 home. In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on Freephone 116 123 or emailed to jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In Australia, the Crisis Support Service Lifeline is 13 11 14.
