Deaths in ICE custody raise serious questions, lawmakers say

"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."

""These 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." Ismael Ayala-Uribe, 39, died Sept. 22 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."

Twenty-five people have died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody so far this year, the highest annual total since tracking began in 2018. Two Mexican immigrants who lived in Orange County were among the deaths after being sent to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. U.S. Reps. Dave Min and Judy Chu sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem citing systemic patterns of delayed treatment, neglect, and failures to properly notify families. Lawmakers raised concerns about medical care failures at Adelanto and whether facilities can handle a surge tied to the administration's mass deportation agenda. One case involved Ismael Ayala-Uribe, who died roughly a month after apprehension; relatives allege denial of care.

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