A Jamaican man in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody died on Monday from what is believed to be cardiac arrest, according to an agency statement issued Tuesday evening.
Roger Rayson, 47, was arrested in November 2014 by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Miami for possession of cocaine. Rayson was convicted of importation of cocaine and sentenced to 30 months in prison in April 2015.
Rayson was released from prison and into New Orleans ICE custody on Jan. 28. After two and a half weeks in immigration detention, Rayson was admitted to LaSalle General Hospital after with symptoms of nausea, vomiting and pain.
Hospital officials diagnosed Rayson with Burkitt Lymphoma (non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma). On March 4, he was admitted to Lafayette General Hospital. Rayson was declared dead at 3:20 local time on March 13.
ICE has since notified Jamaican consular officials and the deceased’s next of kin.
Rayson is the fourth detainee to die in ICE custody in fiscal year 2017, which started Oct. 1. The initial press release stated he was the second person, but ICE confirmed the mistake to the Washington Examiner.
