Another Death of Noncitizen in Immigrant Detention
The death toll of immigrants held in detention continue to mount. On March 10, we posted about a story reporting that eight noncitizens had died in ICE detention since October 2019. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released the following announcement today:
“Mexican man in ICE custody passes away in Texas
BROWNSVILLE, Texas — A Mexican man in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Enforcement (ICE) at the Port Isabel Detention Center (PIDC) in Los Fresnos, Texas, died Saturday at an area hospital.
Ramiro Hernandez-Ibarra, 42, was pronounced dead at 5:46 a.m. local time by medical professionals at the Valley Baptist Medical Center, in Harlingen, Texas, where he had been hospitalized since March 19, 2020.
The preliminary cause of death was listed as complications related to septic shock.
Consistent with the agency’s protocols, the appropriate agencies have been notified about the death, including the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG), and the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR). Additionally, ICE has notified the Mexican consulate and Hernandez-Ibarra’s next of kin.
ICE is firmly committed to the health and welfare of all those in its custody and is undertaking a comprehensive agency-wide review of this incident, as it does in all such cases. Fatalities in ICE custody, statistically, are exceedingly rare and occur at a fraction of the national average for the U.S. detained population.
The agency’s comprehensive review will be conducted by ICE senior leadership, including Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) and the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA).”
Click the link above for the rest of the announcement.
KJ
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