A tenth illegal immigrant has died while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in fiscal 2016, passing the record for the most deaths in a year with one month left before FY 2017, according to a press release the agency issued Wednesday.
Seven ICE detainees died in FY 2015, three in 2014 and seven in 2013. This week’s death puts ICE ahead of FY 2008, which saw a total of eight deaths.
Moises Tino-Lopez, a Guatemalan national, died of an apparent heart attack on Tuesday at St. Francis Hospital in Grand Island, Nebraska, according to ICE. The 23-year-old had been taken into ICE custody at the Hall County Department of Corrections in Grand Island pending reinstatement of his previous removal order. An immigration judge had ordered Tino-Lopez be removed to Guatemala in August 2012 and he was flown home the following month. Tino-Lopez then illegally re-entered the U.S. in 2014 and was arrested by ICE in August 2016.
ICE stated Tino-Lopez had shown signs of a possible seizure on Sept. 12 and was taken off a scheduled removal flight for further medical evaluation at the recommendation of the ICE Health Services Corps. He was given a CT scan and returned to ICE detention after being cleared by doctors.
The detainee then suffered a seizure on Sept. 19 and was treated by the detention facility’s medical staff. He did not respond to CPR and was transported to St. Francis Hospital where he remained for a week before he was declared deceased at 4:05 p.m. CDT on Sept. 27.
ICE has contacted Guatemalan consular officials in Denver, Col., about his death.
