HUMSI — Human Security Initiative

Human Impact Project

A living database documenting reported immigration enforcement incidents and their human impact.

Colombian father detained by ICE, attempted suicide three times in custody, released after nine months

Jun 15, 2026 · Plainview, NY, Colombia

Colombian father detained by ICE, attempted suicide three times in custody, released after nine months

Juan Bonilla Lagos, a 32-year-old Colombian national, was arrested by ICE agents in Plainview in October 2024 while sitting in his car with his wife and 5-year-old son during what his family says was a trip to a doctor's appointment. During the arrest, agents threatened to break the car window as his child clung to him and pleaded with agents not to take him away. Bonilla Lagos, who entered the U.S. in 2022 fleeing gang violence in Colombia, was detained at an ICE facility in Batavia, New York, where he attempted suicide three times during his nine-month custody. He has no criminal record and has filed an asylum petition. On July 7, 2026, he was released and reunited with his wife and two children at Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan. The prolonged separation caused severe mental health trauma to his family, including depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress.

Timeline

Jul 7, 2026Released from ICE custody and reunited with wife and two children at Port Authority Bus Terminal in Manhattan
Oct 1, 2024Juan Bonilla Lagos arrested by ICE agents in Plainview while in car with wife and 5-year-old son; agents threatened to break window during arrest
Oct 2024Bonilla Lagos transferred to ICE facility in Batavia, NY; began detention lasting nine months

Sources

More incidents in New York