Simratpal Singh
Simratpal Singh was 21 and came from Tarn Taran in Punjab, India; his sister, who lives in the Bachre village there, spoke to The Tribune about him and about his family's demands for answers. He died on May 3, 2019, while held by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at La Paz County Jail in Arizona. ICE said he died by hanging, while the North American Punjabi Association said jail officials found him unresponsive and took him to hospitals, where doctors declared him dead. The association said the cause of death has not been established, that ICE has withheld its investigation records under a Freedom of Information Act request, and that the family has asked for bus camera footage. A 2024 report by Physicians for Human Rights, the ACLU and American Oversight says he died by suicide three days after he was detained, that he had limited English, that a nurse did not identify a suicide risk, and that staff did not conduct security rounds of his cell.
Cause of death, as reported: Died by suicide (disputed; neglect alleged). ICE says he hanged himself; the ACLU, Physicians for Human Rights and American Oversight report says a nurse relied on his appearance to assess his mental state and missed his suicide risk, and the Deadly Failures report says the facility did not conduct security rounds of his cell.
Reported by: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (the agency that held him); Deadly Failures report (advocates); ACLU, Physicians for Human Rights and American Oversight report (advocates).