PHILIPSBURG, Pa. — Federal immigration officials identified failures in medical screening, mental health referrals and routine supervision at a privately operated immigration detention center where a 32-year-old Chinese immigrant died by suicide in August 2025, according to internal reviews obtained by attorneys representing his family.
Chaofeng Ge was transferred to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center on July 31, 2025, after serving a sentence in a Pennsylvania county jail. Medical records accompanying his transfer documented a previous suicide attempt and antidepressant treatment.
The records were misplaced during his intake, leaving the nurse who initially evaluated him unaware of his mental health history.
Although the documents were located later that day, facility staff did not arrange an assessment by a mental health professional, according to an internal review.
Ge died five days after arriving at the facility.
The Moshannon Valley Processing Center is operated by GEO Group, a private corrections company, under contract with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Internal ICE investigations examined the handling of Ge’s medical information, his interactions with detention personnel, compliance with required supervision procedures and the emergency response after he was discovered unresponsive.
The investigative records were obtained by attorneys representing Ge’s brother, Yanfeng Ge.
During his detention, Ge told facility employees that he was struggling with isolation and requested placement alongside other Mandarin-speaking detainees.
He submitted two requests for a different housing assignment, including one on Aug. 4, when he described the difficulties of being unable to communicate with those around him, according to a psychological assessment prepared by ICE health officials.
The assessment also documented Ge’s concerns about possible deportation to China and the outcome of his immigration proceedings.
In a conversation with a friend, Ge discussed disposing of his belongings and indicated that he no longer believed pursuing legal representation was necessary.
Investigators also identified failures in routine supervision during the hours before Ge was discovered unresponsive.
According to an investigative timeline, detention officers did not consistently complete required housing-unit inspections.
Although handwritten logs recorded checks at approximately 30-minute intervals, reviewers determined that some of those rounds had not occurred.
Officers who conducted inspections also failed to check the shower area.
Ge was discovered during the facility’s morning count on Aug. 5.
ICE reports identified an additional problem during the emergency response finding Ge with a ligature around his neck when staff could not immediately retrieve equipment needed to bring him down because it was secured in a locked storage box.
A subsequent medical examination classified Ge’s death as a suicide.
The ICE Office of Professional Responsibility determined that the handling of Ge’s medical records and the resulting intake examination failed to comply with applicable detention standards.
A separate corrective action document from the ICE Health Service Corps identified additional shortcomings involving mental health services and detainee supervision.
ICE’s public documentation of the case also changed.
An earlier account indicated that Ge had arrived at the facility without medical records, while subsequent documentation established that the records had accompanied his transfer but were temporarily misplaced during intake.
Ge entered the United States in 2023 and later worked as a delivery driver in New York City.
After an initial encounter with Border Patrol agents in California, he was released with instructions to appear in immigration court.
In January 2025, Ge was arrested in Pennsylvania in connection with an attempt to purchase gift cards using other people’s payment information.
Following his conviction and a sentence of time served, he was transferred to ICE custody for removal proceedings.
Ge’s brother, Yanfeng Ge, said in a statement that his brother deserved appropriate treatment while in detention.
Attorneys representing the family have called for further investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death and urged authorities to close the Moshannon Valley Processing Center.
The findings come amid broader scrutiny of deaths in federal immigration detention during the Trump administration’s expansion of detention and deportation operations.
At least 55 people have died in ICE custody since President Donald Trump began his second term, including at least 10 suspected suicides, according to figures cited in the reporting.
The Department of Homeland Security and ICE did not respond to requests for comment.
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