New data shows preventable deaths rise among Latino Americans

Preventable deaths rising among Latino Americans is drawing attention as new data demonstrates unequal exposure to economic, mental-health and substance use pressures.

Epidemiologists believed that Latinos have often lived longer and healthier lives due to strong family ties, multigenerational households, religious networks and neighborhood connections. They also documented the first pattern in the 1980s, calling it the Latino Paradox, according to NBC News. 

While the power of the community was stronger than now, its protection is failing. The new data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that over the last decade, preventable deaths have been rising fast among Latinos in the U.S. From 2015 to 2024, Latino suicide deaths rose 29%, drug overdose deaths 115% and alcohol-related deaths 18%.

The Commission for Behavioral Health reports that in California alone, between 2016 and 2023, the suicide rate for Latinos was the second highest at 21.4%.  Additionally, statistics show that only one in five Latinos with psychological issues talk to a doctor and only one in 10 seek treatment from a mental health professional. This means that people in the Latino community often suffer in silence, which can exacerbate their mental health conditions. 

Drug overdose deaths are declining in Los Angeles County and across the country, thanks to stronger investments in prevention, harm reduction, treatment and recovery. Despite this progress, the highest rates persist in Black and Latino low-income communities. 

According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, in 2024 they saw a 22% drop in drug-related overdose and poisoning deaths, over 3,000 fewer than the previous year. This included a 37% decrease in fentanyl-related deaths and a 20% decrease in methamphetamine-related deaths.

The data also showed that fentanyl-related overdoses disproportionately affect Black individuals in terms of death rates, while Latino and white individuals account for the highest total number of fatalities. This was the first year in which fentanyl-related Latino overdose and poisoning numbers rose above those of white populations. 

During the pandemic, numbers were set to a record high for suicide rates as well as alcohol and drug-related deaths, although it’s not confirmed whether COVID was a direct cause, according to NBC News. 

“In the last couple of years, the pandemic had an impact in our community and were deeply affected by COVID-19. We experienced more deaths in the community. Latinos tend to live in multi-family homes so the spread was most likely to occur in households and the lack of access to appropriate medical care,” said Frances Chinchilla Orellana, clinical supervisor of Behavioral Health Services at AltaMed.

According to the Hispanic Research Center, 37% of Latino adults with lower incomes and living with children reported frequent anxiety or depressive symptoms, and most do not receive mental health services. The Latino community was the most affected during that time; not only were they facing a health and mental crisis, they were also struggling economically. 

She said that immigration status also contributed to the inability to receive certain benefits for Latino individuals. “During the pandemic, undocumented people couldn’t receive financial benefits. Overall, the pandemic affected many of us financially because if you weren’t able to work, you were at risk of losing housing or covering basic needs,” Orellana said. 

Since Donald Trump took office, families have been living in fear. He has kept his promises of mass deportations and has eliminated several immigration programs, triggering widespread fear in Latino communities and raising concerns about the toll on their mental health.

According to the Center for Migration Studies, 5.8 million U.S. households are home to at least one person without legal immigration status. Of those households, 4.7 million are composed of both undocumented residents and those with citizenship or other legal status. 

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) claims that about 70% of ICE arrests involve individuals with criminal charges. ICE’s own records show the opposite: 70.6% of detainees had no criminal convictions as of July 11, according to Syracuse University’s Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse. 

Last year, Marcela Hernandez, a member of the Detention Watch Network (DWN), a national coalition trying to abolish immigration detention in the U.S., said that the detention institutions are private corporations that are deadly to Latino communities. 

She shared that in 2025, more than 13 people died inside the immigration detention centers. Just this year alone, 23 people have died in ICE custody, with 17 of those individuals being Latinos.

While Latino communities navigate economic pressure, health changes and immigration policies, the challenge is not only preventing deaths but also preserving the Latino Paradox.