17 immigrants have died in US custody this year: ICE

WASHINGTON: At least 17 immigrants have died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody from January 2026 through early April, according to ICE. That follows 31 deaths last year, a two-decade high.

Aled Damien Carbonell-Betan­court of Cuba died on April 12 at a federal detention centre in Miami. A federal officer discovered Carbonell-Betancourt in what ICE described as an apparent suicide attempt at the detention centre, according to a statement from the agency.

Alejandro Cabrera Clemente of Mexico died on April 11 at the Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana. Cabrera was found unresponsive at the detention centre, ICE said, and staff attempted to resuscitate him. He was taken to a local hospital where, after further life-saving efforts, he was declared dead, according to ICE.

Tuan Van Bui of Vietnam died on April 1 at the Miami Correctional Facility in Bunker Hill, Indiana. Bui was found unresponsive and declared dead at the scene, ICE said. The cause of death remains under investigation.

Jose Guadalupe Ramos of Mexico died on March 25 at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in Los Ang­eles. Ramos was found unconscious and unresponsive in his bunk by sec­u­­­r­­­ity staff, ICE said. The staff called on-site medical personnel and he was transferred to an area hospital whe­­re he was declared dead, ICE said.

Royer Perez Jimenez of Mexico died on March 16 at the Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven, Florida. Perez Jimenez’s death was a presumed suicide, ICE said, while the official cause of death was under investigation after he was found unresponsive in the early hours.

Mohammad Nazeer Paktiawal died on March 14 at the Parkland Hospital in Dallas, Texas. Paktiawal, an Afghan immigrant who previously worked with the US military in Afghanistan and later sought asylum in the US, died in ICE custody less than 24 hours after being detained in Texas, a US veteran-led advocacy group said.

In a statement, ICE said Paktiawal was eating breakfast when medical staff noted that his tongue had become swollen, prompting a medical response. He was declared dead only after multiple attempts at resuscitation, the agency said.

Emanuel Cleeford Damas of Haiti died on March 2 at a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona. ICE took Damas into custody after he was arrested on assault and battery charges in September 2025 in Boston, ICE said.

Pejman Karshenas Najafabadi of Iran died on March 1 at a hospital in Natchez, Mississippi. ICE took Karshenas into custody in April 2025 after he was convicted of fentanyl possession, the agency said. He had several chronic health conditions but remained detained and was transferred in October 2025 to the Louisiana ICE Processing Center, a facility opened under the Trump administration, according to ICE.

The others who died in ICE custody included Alberto Gutierrez Reyes, Jairo Garcia Hernandez, Lorth Sim, Victor Manuel Diaz, Parady La, Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz, Luis Gustavo Nunez Caceres and Geraldo Lunas Campos.

Published in Dawn, April 19th, 2026

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