Cellmate Challenges Official Suicide Report of Cuban Detainee in Georgia ICE Facility

A Mexican immigrant recently deported to Mexico has raised serious doubts about the alleged suicide of Denny Adán González, a 33-year-old Cuban man, who was found dead on April 29 in the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. According to Guillermo Aguilar, who was held alongside González, it is "impossible" for him to have taken his own life in the solitary confinement cell where he was placed.

Aguilar, once a detainee at the same Lumpkin facility, insists he knows the conditions well, particularly the punitive area colloquially called “the hole.” In a statement to CiberCuba, Aguilar asserted, “There’s no way someone could hang themselves or die there. It’s not possible.”

He elaborated that detainees are isolated, constantly monitored, and checked on by guards every few minutes, who maintain a log of their rounds. Aguilar stressed there’s no physical structure suitable for hanging.

“If they told me he died in the other area with 100 people, I might believe it. That area has a second floor and a bar where one could hang something. But not where he was,” Aguilar explained.

This testimony starkly contrasts with the official death certificate sent to González's family, which claims he died by hanging.

Allegations of Retaliation

González was reportedly placed in isolation following an altercation with an African American guard the Sunday before his death. Because González didn’t speak English, he misunderstood commands, leading to a scuffle. During the incident, the guard fell and injured his head, requiring hospital treatment.

Aguilar suspects this incident led to retaliation. “I believe the guards, being friends, took revenge on Denny for hitting the guard. They went too far and ended up killing him. I’m almost 100% sure that’s what happened,” Aguilar stated.

The suspicion is shared among other detainees with whom Aguilar remains in contact. These concerns intensified when Aguilar spoke with González’s mother in Cuba, who heartbreakingly said, “The guards killed my son.”

Family and friends of González reject the official suicide narrative, demanding a thorough investigation into what transpired at the CoreCivic-operated facility, which has recorded at least 14 deaths since 2006.

A Quiet Life with Aspirations

Aguilar described González as a calm, hardworking man who avoided conflict. He made and sold bracelets within the center to afford food, as the meals provided were reportedly substandard. “Denny was very humble, not someone who sought trouble,” Aguilar reminisced.

González was optimistic about his future the last time Aguilar saw him in early April. He had been informed of his impending deportation to Mexico, where Aguilar had promised him a job and a place to stay. González also looked forward to reuniting with his biological son after years apart.

Deaths Raise Alarms About ICE Detention Practices

González’s death adds to the growing scrutiny of the U.S. immigration detention system. A study in the JAMA medical journal reported that the death rate in ICE custody reached its highest in 22 years during the 2026 fiscal year: 88.9 deaths per 100,000 detainees.

González is the third Cuban migrant to die in ICE custody this year, following Geraldo Lunas Campos, whose death was ruled a homicide by asphyxiation in Fort Bliss, Texas, and Aled Damien Carbonell-Betancourt in Miami in April.

Human rights organizations point out that González's death might be the fourth or fifth to be officially labeled as suicide at the Stewart Center. However, those who knew him insist that the authorities’ account does not align with the reality of his cell conditions.