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

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

Four 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.