Choung Woong Ahn

Note: The unhealthy conditions allowed to persist in prisons and immigrant detention centers exact a devastating toll on mental and physical wellbeing. Deaths by suicide within these facilities should be treated as public health failures. The COVID-19 pandemic likely played a role in the untimely death of Choung Woong Ahn, a beloved community member. 

Choung Woong Ahn, courtesy of his brother, Young Ahn to ACLU, by way of KTLA. 

Choung Woong Ahn petitioned for release from the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, citing his medical vulnerability. According to his brother, despite suffering from lung disease, diabetes, hypertension, and having a history of heart attacks, the 74-year-old Choung Woong bravely participated in hunger strikes in solidarity with his fellow detained immigrants.  

Choung Woong passed away by suicide on May 17, 2020, after being denied release. Advocates and lawyers submitted three requests for Choung Woong’s release from the Bakersfield, California facility: all were rejected, the most recent by a U.S. district judge two days before his passing. His community mourns him and condemns the conditions that resulted in his death. His brother, Young Ahn, published a powerful opinion piece for The Sacramento Bee, writing: “The grief and heartbreak our family experienced was needless and tragic, but we believe that we must use our grief to stand up for truth, justice and liberty to honor our brother.” 

Choung Woong came to the United States from South Korea as a permanent resident in 1988. He made America his home, but ICE took him into custody after he was released from a California state prison. Choung Woong was detained at Mesa Verde, a facility owned by the GEO Group, one of the largest for-profit prison corporations in the world.

Those incarcerated with Choung Woong in Mesa Verde grieve the loss of their compassionate friend. In a touching memorial to Choung Woong in Centro Legal, his dormmate, Donovan, said, “In the morning at 5am we would turn the TV on and watch the news. He would always walk up to me and say, ‘what up, bro.’ We shared that greeting with each other. He was a joyful man. It hurts me that a person will have to lose their life in the fight for freedom.” Donovan, who was just a bunk away from Choung Woong, said, “This is personal to me.” 

A tribute to Choung Woong by his friend Charles Joseph, who was detained with him. Obtained from videos of the Interfaith Movement for Human Integrity’s public memorial in his honor.

Dormmate Asif said, “Mr. Ahn was a good guy. He loved to joke and laugh. He was a very kind person, loved to share whatever he had with others.” Levi, another of Choung Woong’s dormmates, said, “I spent time in the dorms with Mr. Ahn. He was a kind person, he would take care of others.” 

Another dormmate, Sitha, recalled, “When I first got here, I don’t have nothing, and Mr. Ahn gave me some food. He was a generous man, a very good person,” adding, “I started looking out for him since he was an older gentleman, helping him make his bed. In Asian culture he was like an uncle, and we became close. He was a great guy and I am very sad that he passed.”

Choung Woong’s friends and family are as outraged as they are devastated about his passing. Asif noted that, “In our dorm, we would look out for him since we knew his medical conditions, and since he was an older gentleman . . . This could have all been prevented. ICE and GEO are both responsible for what happened.” Levi said, “GEO failed Mr. Ahn, and they need to be held accountable.”

Friends and advocates gathering for a vigil honoring Choung Woong Ahn, with artwork of him, by way of South Kern Sol.

In his piece condemning the loss of his brother, Young demands answers for why Choung Woong was put in isolation when ICE records reveal that they knew he might be suicidal. Young wrote, “The same agency that denied his release, that was fighting tooth and nail to send him away from the country that he has called home for more than 30 years, is now supposed to investigate the circumstances they created to facilitate his death. We don’t need an investigation to know that they are guilty of creating this situation. What we need is justice, particularly for our brother’s friends who remain in detention and continue to organize for their rights.” 

In denouncing his brother’s preventable death, Young called for the end of detention facilities, “which treat people like [Choung Woong] as commodities.” Young wrote, “People in these facilities are paid $1 a day for a full day’s work, while generating millions of dollars for massive corporations.” Young urged Attorney General Becerra to investigate Choung Woong’s death and the other abuses in detention centers in California, and also demanded Governor Newsom end state transfers into such civil detention facilities. 

Choung Woong lived a life that embodied generosity, kindness, and solidarity. His warmth, friendship, and humor were a beacon for those graced with his presence. As his friends and family mourn his death, they also uphold his legacy of protecting others and standing for liberation. We join them in grieving the loss of Choung Woong and calling for justice. 

This memorial was written by MOL team member Nicole Mo with information from an opinion piece by Young Ahn in The Sacramento Bee, a memorial published on the website of Centro Legal, and reporting from The Associated Press.