A Mexican man who was arrested in Arizona by Border Patrol agents on Sunday has died while in government custody, according to the agency.
The unnamed man, a 49-year-old citizen of Mexico, was apprehended by agents working near Tucson, Arizona, Sunday around 1 p.m. local time. He was arrested near Casa Grande, though Border Patrol’s parent agency, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, did not specify if he had illegally crossed the border or what led to his arrest.
“During processing it was determined the man needed medical attention and was transported to a Tucson area hospital,” CBP said in a statement released late Tuesday. It’s not clear if medical personnel were present at the Border Patrol facility he was first taken to for booking.
“Medical officials determined that the man had a pre-existing heart condition. On Monday, at approximately 9 a.m., the man was pronounced deceased,” the statement said.
CBP reported 10 deaths of among 851,000 detainees in the 2019 fiscal year, which ran from Oct. 1, 2018, through Sept. 30.
Border Patrol and the Trump administration have been criticized by Democratic lawmakers and immigration advocates for substandard conditions at federal facilities and a lack of medical personnel on site, especially earlier this year during a period of overcrowding due to a surge in crossings.
