Cuban Man Dies in ICE Detention at Stewart Center

What happened

A 33-year-old Cuban man named Denny Adan Gonzalez died on April 28, 2026, at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia, while in ICE custody. ICE says the suspected cause of death is suicide, but the official cause is still under investigation. This news affects anyone who has a family member or loved one currently held in ICE detention.

Staff at the facility — run by a private company called CoreCivic — found Gonzalez unresponsive in his cell at about 10:25 p.m. They used emergency tools and started CPR right away. Webster County Emergency Medical Services also responded. Gonzalez was pronounced dead at 11:11 p.m.

According to ICE, Gonzalez first entered the US in May 2019 near Hidalgo, Texas. He was found inadmissible by US Customs and Border Protection. After going through a credible fear interview — a process where immigration officials decide if someone has a real reason to fear returning to their home country — an immigration judge ordered him removed to Cuba in December 2019. He was deported in January 2020 but later re-entered the US without permission. Border Patrol encountered him in El Paso, Texas, in April 2022. He was later released under supervision and reported to ICE in Charlotte, North Carolina, until September 2025. In December 2025, he was arrested by local police in Charlotte for assault and domestic violence. ICE placed an immigration detainer — a request to hold someone for possible transfer to immigration custody — and he was moved to Stewart Detention Center in January 2026.

ICE says it notified the US Department of Homeland Security, the DHS Office of Inspector General, the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility, the Cuban Embassy, and Gonzalez's next of kin. Under a law called the DHS Appropriations Act of 2018, ICE must make public all reports about deaths in its custody within 90 days. Those reports are available on ICE's website at ICE.gov.

What to do if your loved one is in ICE detention

• Contact the detention facility directly to ask about your family member's health and status. You can find facility contact information on ICE.gov's detainee locator tool.
• If you are worried about a detainee's mental health or safety, lawyers recommend contacting an immigration attorney or a nonprofit legal organization as soon as possible. They may be able to request a bond hearing — a court process where a judge decides if someone can be released from detention while their case continues.
• Ask an immigration lawyer whether your loved one qualifies for release on bond or other forms of relief during removal proceedings (the legal process where the government tries to deport someone).
• If a death occurs in ICE custody, family members can request official reports through ICE.gov's Detainee Death Reporting page, where ICE is required to post details within 90 days.