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15 people have died during detention, according to ICE. SoCal House members want answers
A view of the Adelanto U.S. Immigration and Enforcement Processing Center.
(
Chris Carlson
/
AP
)
More than 40 members of the U.S. House, including 15 representatives from California, are demanding answers from federal authorities about the record number of people who died in immigration detention this year.
The letter, sent today to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, follows two recent deaths of Orange County men detained at the Adelanto immigration detention center. LAist emailed the Department of Homeland Security with a request for comment and will update this story if and when we hear back.
- In September, Ismael Ayala-Uribe, a former DACA recipient who lived in Westminster, died in custody shortly after being returned there from a nearby hospital where he had been evaluated for an abscess.
- In October, Gabriel Garcia Aviles, a Costa Mesa resident, died at a hospital in Victorville after being taken into custody during a raid and then being detained at the Adelanto detention center, according to the letter and reporting from L.A. Taco.
Record number of detainee deaths
ICE has reported 15 deaths in custody since January. That’s higher than any year since the agency began publicly reporting detainee deaths in 2018.
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“This is now a systemic problem,” Rep. Dave Min, D - Irvine, told LAist. “It's inhumane, I believe it violates U.S. and international law, and ICE needs to get their act together.”
New data released this week shows immigration officials deported, arrested and detained tens of thousands of people from October through mid-November. The arrests led to a jump in the number of people held in immigration jails, with over 65,000 currently detained nationwide.
LAist has reported on concerns among health care workers that immigration agents are compromising the care of detained patients at L.A. hospitals.
On Monday, U.S. Rep. Robert Garcia, L.A. Mayor Karen Bass and other local leaders are holding a field hearing and press event in L.A. to discuss alleged unlawful detention and abuses by immigration agents of both immigrants and U.S. Citizens.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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