A second man has died in Missouri while being held in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Leo Cruz-Silva, 34, originally from Mexico, was being detained by Festus Police after his Sept. 30 arrest for public intoxication, according to a statement released late Wednesday by the federal agency. He was subsequently transferred to ICE custody on Oct. 1 and sent to the Ste. Genevieve Detention Center two days later.
After just one day in the jail, Cruz-Silva was dead.
He was found unresponsive in his cell on Oct. 4 in what ICE said appeared to be a suicide. Jail staff attempted CPR until paramedics arrived, but neither group was able to revive him. The Missouri State Highway Patrol is investigating the death. The Ste. Genevieve County Sheriff's Office, which operates the jail, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Cruz-Silva's death marks the second reported suicide in ICE custody in Missouri in recent months — and is at least the 15th detainee death nationwide so far in 2025, according to data on the agency's website.
In April, Brayan Garzón-Rayo, a 27-year-old Colombian man living in St. Louis, was found unresponsive in his Phelps County Jail cell. His mother said it appeared to be a suicide. Records later showed ICE had not followed its own medical protocols before Garzón-Rayo attempted to take his own life.
Like Garzón-Rayo, Cruz-Silva did not have legal status in the United States and had already been deported twice — in 2010 and 2020.
"I'm very disappointed that we weren't able to assist him," said Susie Johnson, a board member with Abide in Love-Ste. Genevieve. The volunteer group helps ICE detainees contact family members and obtain basic toiletries. The group noticed Cruz-Silva's name in the jail's online communication system, but hadn't yet been in contact with him.
"We have to do a lot of work to identify who was in our jail as an ice detainee, and sometimes that takes a couple days," Johnson said. "It's just a tragedy for our community."
Abide in Love-Ste. Genevieve will hold a vigil for Cruz-Silva on Sunday at 7 p.m. in front of the Ste. Genevieve County Detention Center.
Heightened enforcement
Johnson said she is concerned about the growing number of ICE detainees being held in Ste. Genevieve under an ICE contract as part of the Trump administration's intensified immigration enforcement efforts. She estimates the number of detainees in ICE custody at the facility has risen from about 60 in July to more than 100 as of Wednesday.
Trump's immigration crackdown has drawn widespread attention for the federal government's forceful actions in Democratic-led cities such as Chicago and Portland. On Wednesday, the president called for the jailing of Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson for "failing to protect ICE." Speaking to reporters, Pritzker responded "come and get me."
In Missouri, Republican Gov. Mike Kehoe activated the state's National Guard late last month to assist ICE agents with administrative, clerical, and logistical support through September 2026 after weeks of speculation. Fifteen volunteers signed up for the mission, but hours after Kehoe's announcement, the federal government shut down.
The Missouri National Guard volunteers will continue working with ICE facilities across the state without pay.
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline is a hotline for individuals in crisis or for those looking to help someone else. To speak with a trained listener, call 988. Visit 988lifeline.org for crisis chat services or for more information.
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