The tragic death of Chaofeng Ge, a Chinese immigrant held in a Pennsylvania detention center, has left his family seeking clarity and justice. Chaofeng, aged 32, was discovered dead in the Moshannon Valley Processing Center on August 5, an event that has sparked significant concern and questions from his relatives.
According to documents obtained by the Daily Mail, Chaofeng was found hanging from a shower stall at 5:20 a.m., as detailed in a ‘detainee death report’ by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Efforts to save him were made, but tragically, he was pronounced dead 40 minutes later.
In the past, Chaofeng had been apprehended by ICE agents on several occasions, with the latest occurring this year. Official records indicate that he was living in the United States unlawfully, a fact that had led to repeated encounters with immigration authorities.
Adding to the anguish and mystery surrounding his death, Chaofeng’s family claims that he was found with his arms and legs bound behind him. This detail raises more questions about the circumstances of his death, which his relatives are determined to have investigated thoroughly.
“I can’t comprehend how my brother would have had the opportunity, or what would have compelled him, to take such drastic measures,” expressed Yanfeng Ge, his brother, during a press conference. The family continues to seek answers and hopes for a transparent investigation into the circumstances that led to this tragic loss.
‘I don’t know how he could have had the opportunity to take his own life, or what drove him to do so,’ Ge’s brother, Yanfeng Ge, told a press conference.
‘But these sorts of things should not have happened to people who are in the government’s custody.’
‘There is still so much left unknown about the circumstances of his death,’ he added.
Chaofeng Ge was discovered hanging from a shower stall at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Pennsylvania on August 5, official documents seen by the Daily Mail show
‘I don’t know how he could have had the opportunity to take his own life, or what drove him to do so,’ Ge’s brother, Yanfeng Ge, told a press conference, as shown above
A Chinese immigrant who was detained by ICE has been found dead in a Pennsylvania detention facility (pictured above) – and his relatives are demanding answers
‘I think the government has done a terrible job. I asked them to transfer my brother’s body from prison. They couldn’t do it, they just wouldn’t do it.
‘They could have done it out of humanitarian reasons, but they didn’t.’
Yanfeng is suing ICE and Kristi Noem’s Department of Homeland Security, saying the agencies illegally ignored his request for records about the death.
The complaint seen by the Daily Mail states that he sent a Freedom of Information request to receive records about his brother’s death on September 9, but never received a response, which was legally required by October 14.
‘Ge was found in a shower stall at MVPC an ICE detention facility in Pennsylvania, hanging by his neck, with his hands and legs tied behind his back,’ the complaint alleges.
‘No one from the GEO Group, which runs MVPC, has reached out and offered the family condolences, much less an explanation for how this could have happened.
Mr. Ge was isolated because no one in the facility could speak Mandarin. MVPC staff refused to even try to communicate with him, much less offer him the mental health care that he so urgently needed.’
Yanfeng has accused ICE and the DHS of ‘improperly withholding agency records’. He is requesting a judge to order the release of the records about Ge’s death.
His attorneys have demanded the names of all the ICE, GEO Group and Moshannon Valley Processing Center employees who were on duty on the day his brother died, and any video recordings of Ge and staff from the day.
Chaofeng Ge (pictured), 32, was discovered hanging from a shower stall at Moshannon Valley Processing Center on August 5, official documents seen by the Daily Mail show
Ge’s heartbroken relatives, including his brother Yanfeng Ge (pictured), have said his death was suspicious. They said he was found hanging from the shower stall with his arms and legs tied up behind his back. The Daily Mail has reached out to ICE for comment on this
Ge was found dead at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center (pictured) on August 5
ICE Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin confirmed that Ge died at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center.
‘All in-custody deaths are tragic, taken seriously, and are thoroughly investigated by law enforcement,’ she told the Daily Mail in a statement.
‘ICE takes its commitment to promoting safe, secure, humane environments for those in our custody very seriously.’
The agency’s ‘detainee death report’ states that Chaofeng Ge was first intercepted by US Border Patrol agents close to Tecate, California, for allegedly entering the US without admission or parole on November 22, 2023.
Two days later, he was charged with inadmissibility as an alien present in the US without being admitted or paroled.
It is unclear what happened to Ge after this. ICE records show that he was arrested in Lower Paxton Township, PA, on January 23 this year for allegedly accessing a device belonging to somebody else who did not give him permission to do so.
Ge pleaded guilty on July 31, according to ICE, and he was sentenced to six to 12 months in prison with credit for time served.
He was found dead at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center on August 5, leaving his family desperately searching for answers.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the medical examiner’s office and police for more information.
