The family of an ICE detainee who committed suicide while in solitary confinement is suing the agency.

Jeancarlo Alfonso Jiminez Joseph’s family believes the 19 days he spent in solitary was torturous for the mentally ill man, reports The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. They also accused ICE of not administering proper treatment for the 27-year-old's schizophrenia.

“Defendants’ torture and cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment of Jean as punishment for his mental illness caused him severe physical and mental pain and suffering, and ultimately, caused his death,” the court documents said.

Joseph was being held at Stewart Detention Center, a facility in South Georgia about 100 miles from Atlanta. He was awaiting deportation following a conviction for felony motor vehicle larceny.

The Panama native came to the United States with his mother when he was 11 years old and was eventually granted legal protection via the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, according to The Intercept. After securing his status, he enrolled in community college and dreamed of being an architect.

It appears he was also once in a band.

His life changed when he got into a skateboarding accident and sustained a traumatic brain injury. The trauma led him to be diagnosed with schizophrenia and anxiety. His DACA was eventually revoked after the larceny charge. When he arrived at Stewart, he told the nurses about previous suicide attempts and let them know he’d hang himself if given the opportunity. He suffered from hallucinations and told authorities and other inmates he was the reincarnation of Julius Caesar. A few weeks before he died, he called an ICE hotline to seek help. An investigation was opened by the ICE central office but it was later closed after prison officials claimed Joseph was “being treated with medication and therapy.”

Joseph was eventually sent to solitary confinement after an altercation with another prisoner. He was there for 19 days before he hung himself with a bedsheet six weeks after calling the hotline.

His parents are being represented by Andrew Free and Brian Spears, two attorneys who have assisted the families of other detainees who died in ICE custody. ICE spokesman Bryan Cox would not comment on the lawsuit.

“That said, absence of comment should in no way be construed that ICE thinks a suit has any merit,” Cox said. “In general, ICE activities are conducted in full compliance with federal law and agency policy.”

Jeancarlo Alfonso Jiminez Joseph

Get relevant content delivered to you once a week