SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGTV) — A 50-year-old Romanian man died while in ICE-custody inside the Otay Mesa Detention Center on Sunday, per an agency release.
"An autopsy is pending to determine the official cause of death," reads the release.
Local migrant rights organizations are now demanding answers and continue to raise awareness about alleged deplorable conditions inside ICE detention centers.
“It does not surprise us one bit that there’s another in-custody death. "The question here is not if...it's when will another death occur."
said Benjamin Prado, a program coordinator with US-Mexico Border Program, a local organization that provides resources to families with loved ones who are detained.
He and other groups have been calling for the shutdown of ICE detention centers, like the one in Otay Mesa, for years. On Sunday, Prado and others were protesting outside a detention center in downtown San Diego.
“Inadequate medical attention, inadequate food, just overall sanitary conditions inside these facilities are atrocious,” said Prado.
Prado says they have filed a formal request to learn additional details about the Romanian man's cause of death.
The Romanian man’s death is now the second ICE-custody death in fiscal year 2023, according to the agency’s website.
The next most-recent death occurred in Colorado. Looking at the year prior, there were three ICE-custody deaths reported, and five deaths the year before that.
In fiscal year 2020, there were 21 ICE-custody deaths reported across the U.S.
Katie Kavanagh, an attorney working with the California Collaborative for Immigrant Justice, says she’s seen conditions inside ICE detention centers firsthand.
“People have shown me photos of cockroaches in the food, moldy food, expired food [...] Terrible medical care. People wait weeks to see a doctor. There are people who are in mental health crisis,” said Kavanagh.
A release following Sunday’s death reads in part: “ICE remains committed to ensuring that all those in its custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments. Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive.”
