A Costa Rican immigrant has died while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a detention facility in Louisiana, according to officials. The man passed away on September 18, roughly eight months after agents first detained him in Michigan.
What makes the case especially striking is the timeline: back in late July, an immigration judge had already ordered that the man be deported to Costa Rica. Despite that ruling, he remained in ICE custody for weeks afterward, and it was during that extended detention that he died.
Louisiana has become one of the main hubs for immigration detention in the United States, housing several large ICE facilities where migrants from Michigan and other states are frequently transferred while their cases are processed or their deportations arranged. Deaths in ICE custody, while relatively rare, tend to draw scrutiny from immigrant-rights advocates who question the medical care and conditions detainees receive, particularly when removal orders are already in place.
Authorities have not yet released the cause of death or additional details about the man’s identity or medical history. Costa Rican consular officials are expected to be involved in repatriating his remains and clarifying the circumstances surrounding his final months in U.S. custody.
For the full report, read the original story at El Diario de Hoy.
Source: Inmigrante costarricense muere bajo custodia de ICE en Louisiana (El Diario de Hoy).
Image: David Stanley from Nanaimo, Canada, BY 2.0 (via Openverse).