Andriy Shepitsen, a Ukrainian national, has been detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Krome North Service Processing Center since December 2025. He has a diagnosed bipolar disorder and other mental health conditions. However, ICE has denied him critical medical and psychiatric treatment, including prescribed medication.
As a result, his mental health has sharply deteriorated. He has experienced extreme depression and reported suicidal thoughts to detention staff on multiple occasions. Despite this, authorities have not provided the care he needs.
On February 10, 2026, he began a hunger strike to protest his treatment and demand his release. His condition has since worsened, and reports indicate that his life may be at risk without urgent medical intervention.
U.S. authorities must immediately release Andriy Shepitsen. Until then, they must ensure he receives urgent and adequate medical and mental health care.
Here’s what you can do:
Write to the Miami ICE Field Office Director urging him to:
• Ensure that Andriy is immediately released and provided with the urgent medical and mental health care he desperately needs.
Write to:
Garrett J. Ripa, Miami ICE Field Office Director
865 SW 78th Avenue, Suite 101
Plantation, FL 33324 USA
Email: [email protected]
Salutation: Dear Field Office Director Garrett Ripa,
And copy:
His Excellency Peter HOEKSTRA
Ambassador
Embassy of the United States of America
490 Sussex Drive
Ottawa, ON K1N 1G8
Tel: (613) 238-5335 / 688-5335 (24h) Fax: (613) 688-3082
Critical health deterioration in detention
Andriy Shepitsen, 46, is detained at the Krome North Service Processing Center. Since entering ICE custody in December 2025, he has lost 46 pounds. His blood pressure is dangerously low, and he can no longer walk without assistance.
At the same time, his mental health continues to decline. Authorities have denied him essential treatment and medication. Despite repeated requests from advocates, guards have refused to transfer him to a hospital for emergency care. They have also denied basic support, including salt to maintain electrolytes. As a result, his condition is now critical.
Procedural failures in immigration case
Andriy’s immigration proceedings show repeated failures. His legal representatives submitted a request for humanitarian parole months ago, but authorities have not responded.
He also missed his first Master Calendar Hearing because guards did not transport him to court. This failure forced a rescheduling. In January 2026, authorities denied him bond, even though evidence showed he was not a flight risk and required urgent medical care.
In addition, authorities postponed a competency hearing that was scheduled for March 4, 2026. The hearing is now set for April 17, which further delays any review of his situation.
Systemic abuses at Krome and wider detention policies
Krome is an ICE detention facility in Miami-Dade County, near the Everglades. Akima Global Services operates the facility. It is one of the oldest and largest ICE detention centres in the United States.
For decades, organizations and legal advocates have raised concerns about conditions at Krome. Reports describe severe overcrowding, lack of medical care, abusive treatment, and barriers to legal representation. In 2025, scrutiny increased after reports of overcrowding and deaths in custody.
Amnesty International has documented serious failures at the facility. These include delays in intake, inadequate medical care, prolonged solitary confinement, and restricted access to legal counsel. Amnesty’s research found that conditions may amount to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment. In some cases, the use of solitary confinement may amount to torture.
Since December 2024, at least five people have died in custody at Krome: Ramesh Amechand, Genry Ruiz Guillen, Maksym Chernyak, Isidro Pérez, and Hasan Ali Moh’d Saleh.
Under the Trump administration, immigration detention has expanded significantly. In February 2026, more than 68,000 people were held in ICE detention. This number likely undercounts the total population.
At the same time, detention conditions continue to worsen. At least 14 people have died in ICE custody in 2026. These policies have increased the scale of detention while failing to ensure basic standards of care and safety.
Please take action as soon as possible until May 31, 2026. The UA will be duly updated should there be the need for further action.
