Venezuelan Woman Detained by ICE Begs to Be Deported as Her Mental Health Deteriorates

Leidybeth Santos urgently requests deportation

Venezuelan woman detained by ICE suffering from depression

Family fears for her health

Leidybeth Santos, a 22-year-old Venezuelan woman, has been detained by ICE for more than three months at the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia, where she says her mental health is deteriorating every day.

“I don’t want to be in this place anymore… I can’t take this,” Santos told journalist Yólise Paez from Univision in an interview conducted from inside the detention center.

The young woman explained that she has already received a deportation order and has repeatedly asked authorities to carry it out, but has not received any response.

“I’ve been here three months and a week… I have a deportation order, and I keep telling them I want to leave, but I’m still here. They haven’t let me go,” she said, describing her mental exhaustion.

Leidybeth Santos Begs for Deportation from ICE Stewart

Leidybeth Santos, 22, has been detained for more than three months in Georgia. From there, she pleads with ICE to execute her deportation.
“Honestly, I’m not well anymore,” said the young woman.

https://t.co/ZUaKkiu2Pr pic.twitter.com/9BsGYAmiUX

— Univision Atlanta (@univision34ATL) October 5, 2025

Outside the detention center, her partner Isaí Flores and her mother, Lisbeth Pérez, fear for her emotional and physical well-being, according to Univision.

Flores shared that Santos has lost weight, goes days without eating, and spends much of her time crying. He also noted that she has faced disciplinary restrictions, including losing access to the commissary for a month.

“When she talks to me or her mom, she says she feels depressed. There are days she doesn’t eat, she’s lost a lot of weight, she cries constantly,” her partner said.

Meanwhile, her mother pleaded tearfully from Venezuela: “I beg immigration authorities, please, give freedom to my daughter Leidybeth Santos. I ask with all my heart.”

Mental Health Risks of Prolonged Detention

Univision consulted psychologist Pierluigi Mancini to understand the psychological risks of long-term detention for young immigrants like Leidybeth Santos.

“Being detained for extended periods is associated with increased depression, anxiety, suicidal thoughts, and self-harm. The effect is especially severe in young people with a history of depression or trauma,” Mancini explained.

In Santos’s case, her condition is more fragile because of the trauma she endured while crossing the Darién jungle, fleeing abuse in Venezuela.

Now, she says she feels trapped again — a situation that experts warn places her at even greater mental health risk.

A Call to Recognize Warning Signs

Mancini emphasized the importance of paying attention to verbal cues and distress signals.

“Families must be alert to passive messages like ‘I don’t want to be here anymore,’ because they can be early warning signs of suicidal risk,” he said.

“When people express a desire to harm themselves or have done so before and are ignored, we’re inviting a tragedy,” Mancini warned.

At this time, it remains unclear when ICE will carry out Leidybeth Santos’ deportation or why her case has been delayed.