The Mexican government is seeking answers about the death of a citizen under ICE custody in Georgia, with the country's consulate saying it is "closely monitoring" the situation.
Concretely, the country's consulate in Atlanta said it is requesting that the "circumstances of the incident be clarified" and clarified that it is "collaborating on the necessary procedures to ensure that the investigation is conducted promptly and transparently."
The name of the person has not been released, with officials saying they are planning to return their remains to the country as soon as possible.
The Department of Homeland Security detailed this week that four migrants died while in ICE custody in the first 10 days of the year.
The individuals — Parady La, 46; Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz, 68; Luis Gustavo Nunez Caceres, 42; and Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55 — died between Jan. 3 and Jan. 9.
DHS said La became unresponsive after experiencing severe drug withdrawal symptoms while held at a federal detention center in Philadelphia. He was hospitalized on Jan. 7 with an anoxic brain injury, cardiac arrest and multiple organ failure, and died two days later. Family members were notified and visited him at the hospital, DHS said.
Yanez-Cruz died Jan. 6 after being transported to a hospital in Indio, California, for chest pain, while Nunez Caceres was pronounced dead Jan. 5 in Houston after treatment for chronic heart-related conditions, as The Hill reports. Lunas Campos died in Montana after experiencing medical distress; his cause of death remains under investigation, according to DHS.
In a statement after the death of Lunas Campos, the department stated that ICE is committed to providing medical care to detainees: "Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay. All people in ICE custody receive medical, dental and mental health intake screenings within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility; a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arrival at a facility; access to medical appointments; and 24-hour emergency care." The Mexican person would be at least the fifth death so far this year.
At least 30 people died in ICE custody last year, the highest annual total in two decades, according to a Reuters analysis published earlier this month. Human rights groups and former detainees have repeatedly raised concerns about conditions inside detention facilities, including access to medical care.
The renewed scrutiny comes as ICE moves to significantly expand detention capacity. In December, the Washington Post reported that the agency is seeking contractors to convert industrial warehouses into large-scale detention and processing centers capable of holding more than 80,000 people nationwide.
© 2025 Latin Times. All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
