News Americas, FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, Fri. June 19, 2020: This week, we wrap up our focus on the immigrants who have died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (US ICE) custody detention centers since Donald Trump took office. Here are those who died from 2018-2017:
December 3, 2018
Guerman Volkov, 56, a Russian national in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Baker County Detention Center died Friday afternoon at a Jacksonville hospital after he went into cardiac arrest and efforts by hospital medical staff to revive him were unsuccessful.
November 26, 2018
Mergensana Amar, 40, a Russian national in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) was removed from life support Saturday afternoon, after attempting to take his own life on Nov. 15.
November 2, 2018
Cuban national Wilfredo Padron, 58, was pronounced dead at Lower Keys Medical Center (LKMC) in Key West, at 7:17 a.m. The official cause of death was believed to be “cardiac-related natural causes.”
July 26, 2018
Augustina Ramirez-Arreola, a 62-year-old Mexican national was pronounced dead by medical staff at the Alvarado Hospital in La Mesa, California, while in the custody of ICE.
July 12, 2018
Efrain De La Rosa, 40, a Mexican national, was pronounced dead at Southwest Georgia Regional Medical Center in Cuthbert, Georgia, at 11:29 p.m. De La Rosa was found unresponsive in his cell and cause of death appeared to be self-inflicted strangulation.
June 12, 2018
Huy Chi Tran, 47, a Vietnamese national, was transferred to ICE custody on May 25, 2018, and transferred to the Eloy Detention Center on May 28, 2018, pending removal to Vietnam. Tran was found unresponsive on June 5, 2018, and local paramedics transported him to the Banner Casa Grande Medical Center. He was declared deceased on June 12, 2018.
June 8, 2018
Zeresenay Ermias Testfatsion, 34, a Eritrean national in transit to his home country, was being held by Egyptian authorities as he awaited removal to Asmara, Eritrea. Egyptian authorities later notified ICE that they found him deceased in a shower area.
May 25, 2018
Roxana Hernandez, 33, a Honduran woman, entered ICE custody on May 13 in San Diego. Two days later, ERO San Diego transferred her to ERO El Paso, and on May 16 Hernandez arrived at the Cibola County Correctional Center in Milan, New Mexico, where she was housed in the transgender unit. Medical staff pronounced her deceased May 25 at 3:32 a.m. (MDT), and identified the preliminary cause of death as cardiac arrest.
May 16, 2018
Ronald Cruz, a 39-year-old Honduran national, died May 16, 2018, at the Valley Baptist Medical Center after being transferred to ICE’s Port Isabel Detention Center (PIDC) on May 14, 2018. The cause of death was identified as cardiac arrest.
April 10, 2018
Gourgen Mirimanian, 54, an Armenian national, died April 10, 2018, at the Texas Health Huguley Hospital. He entered ICE custody at the Prairieland Detention Center (PDC) in Alvarado, Texas, on February 6, 2018. On December 12, 2017, ICE deportation officers encountered Mr. Mirimanian at a Bureau of Prisons facility in Fort Worth, and lodged an immigration detainer on him. On February 6, 2018, the Bureau of Prisons released Mirimanian to ICE custody.
February 19, 2018
Luis Ramirez-Marcano, 59, a Cuban national, was transported February 17, to KRMC when ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC) medical personnel at the Krome Detention Center determined he should be taken to an emergency room for treatment after complaints of abdominal pain. He passed away the afternoon of February 19th.
January 31, 2018
Yulio Castro-Garrido, 33, a Cuban national in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) died at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla. Yulio Castro-Garrido, 33, was transported Jan. 7 to Southwest Regional Medical Center (SWRMC) in Cuthbert, Ga. after ICE Health Service Corps (ISHC) medical personnel at the Stewart Detention Center (SDC) in Lumpkin, Ga. diagnosed him with pneumonia. Castro entered ICE custody on Nov. 24, 2017.
December 2, 2017
Kamyar Samimi, 64, entered ICE custody at the Aurora Contract Detention Facility (ACDF) on November 17, 2017. ACDF personnel contacted emergency medical services (EMS) when Samimi fell ill on December 2, 2017. After EMS arrived, he became unresponsive and EMS began CPR and transported Samimi to University of Colorado Medical Center (UCMC) in Aurora, Colorado, where he was pronounced dead by UCMC medical staff at 12:02 pm of cardiac arrest.
September 17, 2017
Felipe Almazan-Ruiz, 51, entered ICE custody in Miami, Florida, on July 12, 2017. On September 8, Almazan-Ruiz was transferred from the Glades County (Florida) Detention Center to the IAH Secure Adult Detention Center in Livingston, Texas, due to an evacuation from Hurricane Irma. On September 12, Almazan-Ruiz was initially treated by medical staff at the IAH Secure Adult Detention Center and transported to the Livingston Memorial hospital emergency room for treatment of cirrhosis of the liver. He was later transferred and admitted to the Conroe Regional Medical Center because of the high volume activity and limited bed-space at the Livingston Memorial hospital. He died about 5:15 a.m. (CDT) on September 17.
September 5, 2017
Osvadis Montesino-Cabrera, 37, a Cuban national, died at Larkin Community Hospital one week after he was found unresponsive in his hospital shower after a self-inflicted strangulation attempt.
June 10, 2017
Carlos Mejia-Bonilla, 44, a Salvadorian national in the custody of ICE passed away from internal bleeding and hemorrhagic shock. On June 8, 2017, he was admitted to the Jersey City Medical Center’s Intensive Care Unit due to gastrointestinal bleeding. On June 10, 2017, Mejia died due to complications resulting from his condition.
June 2, 2017
Vicente Caceres-Maradiaga, 46, a Honduran national in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, collapsed while playing soccer at the Adelanto Detention Facility in California. He passed away a short time later while in an ambulance as he was being transported to Victorville hospital.
May 17, 2017
Atulkumar Babubhai Patel, 58, an Indian national who was briefly in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Atlanta City Detention Center for two days died at an Atlanta hospital. The preliminary cause of death has been ruled to be complications from congestive heart failure.
May 15, 2017
Jean Jimenez-Joseph, 27, a Panamanian national in the custody of ICE died at the Phoebe Sumter Medical Center in Americus, GA, he was found unresponsive in his cell at the Stewart Detention Facility in Lumpkin, GA.
April 14, 2017
Sergio Alonso Lopez, 55, passed away at Victor Valley Global Medical Center in Victorville, CA, due to internal bleeding.
March 28, 2017
Osmar Epifanio Gonzalez-Gadba, 32, a Nicaraguan national, passed away at Victor Valley Global Medical Center in Victorville, CA, six days after he attempted to commit suicide.
March 14, 2017
Roger Rayson, 47, a Jamaican national in the custody of ICE died at the Lafayette General Hospital in Lafayette, Louisiana. The cause of death is believed to be cardiac arrest.
I’m sure the list will increase by the time 45 leaves office, as these immigrants too feel the weight of his knee of their necks through his xenophobic policies.
