Brother of man who died at ICE facility near Philipsburg seeks answers, sues government
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- Family sues federal government, alleging ICE ignored records request about death
- Relatives and advocates accuse Moshannon facility of abuse, isolation and neglect
- Attorneys say language barriers and withheld care left detainee without mental support
The brother of a man who died while detained at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility near Philipsburg sued the federal government Wednesday, claiming its agencies unlawfully ignored his request for records about the death.
Yanfeng Ge said in the lawsuit that ICE has offered no transparency into the August death of his brother at the Moshannon Valley Processing Center, the largest immigration detention center in the Northeast with a long history of abuse allegations.
“I am devasted (sic) by the loss of my brother and by the knowledge that he was suffering so greatly in that detention center. He did not deserve to be treated that way,” Ge said in a written statement.
He added that he wants justice for his brother, answers about what happened and accountability for those responsible for his death.
Chaofeng Ge, a 32-year-old Chinese citizen and New York City resident, was found hanging by his neck in a shower stall. His family said Wednesday that his hands and legs were tied behind his back.
Clearfield County Coroner Kim Shaffer-Snyder said Thursday that Ge died by hanging and his death was ruled a suicide. He had been in ICE custody for five days and was awaiting a hearing before the Justice Department’s Executive Office of Immigration Review.
His family said no one from the private, for-profit GEO Group that owns and operates the facility offered them condolences in the past three months, “much less an explanation for how this could have happened.”
“The total lack of transparency into what is happening at these detention centers has to stop,” family attorney David B. Rankin said in a written statement. “People are dying and our government doesn’t have the common decency to offer the family any explanation, it’s appalling.”
The family said Ge was isolated and experiencing significant distress before his death because no one in the facility could speak Mandarin. The lawsuit further claimed staff refused to try to communicate with him or offer mental health care he urgently needed.
His brother’s attorneys filed a Freedom of Information Act request Sept. 9 seeking information about the conditions at the facility, Ge’s treatment by staff and the circumstances of his death. The lawsuit argued ICE had until Oct. 14 to respond, but has yet to even acknowledge the request.
It was not immediately clear if the federal government shutdown, which began Oct. 1, has been a factor.
“All in-custody deaths are tragic, taken seriously, and are thoroughly investigated by law enforcement,” said Tricia McLaughlin, an assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Security. “ICE takes its commitment to promoting safe, secure, humane environments for those in our custody very seriously.”
“The government is so committed to keeping the public in the dark about what is happening at these detention centers that it is willing to violate the law,” associate attorney Jeremy A. Ravinksy said in a written statement. “This lawsuit calls for much needed transparency into how the government is treating detainees.”
Ge was arrested in January at a CVS near Harrisburg after Lower Paxton Township police said he was using fraudulent credit cards in an attempt to purchase gift cards. He pleaded guilty in July to two misdemeanor counts of access device fraud.
Ge was sentenced by a Dauphin County judge to six to 12 months and was granted immediate release to an ICE detainer. He was then transported to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center.
A coalition of several local and national immigration rights groups called for the closure of the facility after Ge’s death. During a virtual press conference in August, more than a half-dozen groups took turns pointing out the history of alleged abuses at Moshannon and also advocated for Clearfield County’s commissioners to terminate the contract between the county, ICE and GEO Group.
The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and two other advocacy groups also filed a complaint last year with the Department of Homeland Security after hearing from frustrated and fearful people detained there. The complaint detailed what they consider inhumane, unconstitutional and punitive conditions.
Allegations included inadequate medical care, a lack of interpretation services and discrimination from staff.
“Chaofeng Ge should be alive today. His death — like so many others before it — was entirely preventable,” said Anacristina Fonseca, the community advocacy manager at Envision Freedom Fund. “Detention doesn’t protect anyone; it isolates, traumatizes, and kills. People deserve to fight their immigration cases in freedom, surrounded by family and community — not behind bars. Immigration detention is unnecessary, inhumane, and it must end.”
ICE has mostly rejected allegations of abuse. In its notification about Ge’s death, the agency said it “remains committed to ensuring that all those in its custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments.”
This story was originally published November 12, 2025 at 12:04 PM.