ICE Deaths Raise Lawmaker Concerns
- Southern california lawmakers are demanding answers from U.S.
- In a letter Friday to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, U.S.
- Two Mexican immigrants - who had long made thier homes in Orange County and were sent to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center north of Hesperia - were among...
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Record Number of ICE Detainee Deaths prompt Investigation by California Lawmakers
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The Situation: Rising Deaths in ICE Custody
Southern california lawmakers are demanding answers from U.S. Homeland Security officials following the deaths of two Orange County residents and nearly two dozen others while in federal immigration custody.
In a letter Friday to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, U.S. Reps. Dave Min (D-Irvine) and Judy Chu (D-Pasadena) pointed to the deaths of 25 people so far this year while being held by U.S. immigration and Customs Enforcement. The number of in-custody deaths has reached an annual record since the agency began keeping track in 2018.
Two Mexican immigrants – who had long made thier homes in Orange County and were sent to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center north of Hesperia – were among the deaths.
“Thes are not just numbers on a website, but real people - with families, jobs, and hopes and dreams – each of whom died in ICE custody,” the lawmakers wrote. “The following cases illustrate systemic patterns of delayed treatment, neglect, and failure to properly notify families.”
The Case of Ismael Ayala-Uribe
Ismael Ayala-Uribe, 39, died Sept. 22, 2024, about a month after being apprehended while working at the Fountain Valley Auto Wash, where he had worked for 15 years, according to a GoFundMe post by his family.
He had lived in Westminster since he was 4 years old and had previously been protected from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA. The Los Angeles Times previously reported that his submission for continued protection was not renewed in 2