By Felicia J. Persaud
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Mar. 9, 2026: The number of immigrants who have died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody this year has climbed to 10 in just the first 61 days of 2026. The latest death was that of a Caribbean immigrant.
Emanuel Cleeford Damas of Haiti died March 2, 2026, while in ICE custody at HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. According to ICE, Damas “was pronounced dead at 1:12 p.m. after becoming unresponsive.”
“Despite lifesaving efforts by facility staff, Damas died,” ICE said in a March 6 statement. A physician reported that the preliminary cause of death remains unknown.
ICE said Damas had been hospitalized days earlier after complaining of shortness of breath. However, his family said his concerns about a toothache went unanswered before he received proper medical treatment. ICE maintains that medical screening conducted when Damas entered custody in September did not reveal any serious medical issues.
Damas was admitted to the hospital again in February, when his family said doctors told them he was being treated for pneumonia. The family has requested an independent autopsy to determine the exact cause of death. ICE denies that Damas was refused emergency medical care and says the agency remains “committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments.”
Before his hospitalization, Damas reportedly called family members several times a day from the Florence Detention Center in Arizona.
Damas had been arrested by the Boston Police Department for assault and battery on Sept. 14, 2025. ICE Boston arrested him the following day at the Nashua Street Jail and placed him into custody under the Laken Riley Act, which mandates detention of individuals with pending immigration cases who may pose a public safety risk.
Another immigrant death occurred just a day earlier.
Pejman Karshenas Najafabadi, a 59-year-old Iranian national, died March 1, 2026, at Merit Health Hospital in Natchez, Mississippi, after suffering cardiac arrest. ICE said he was pronounced deceased at approximately 6:32 p.m. despite lifesaving efforts by hospital staff. Najafabadi had been hospitalized since Feb. 20.
He had a documented medical history including cardiac arrest, inflammation of the heart, and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). Najafabadi had entered the United States in 1991 as a lawful permanent resident but had been convicted of several crimes over the years, including conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine, possession of fentanyl, and theft.
February alone saw three additional deaths in ICE custody.
Alberto Gutierrez-Reyes, a 48-year-old immigrant from Mexico convicted of inflicting corporal injury on a spouse, died Feb. 27 at Victor Valley Global Medical Center in Victorville, California. He had been hospitalized for chest pain and shortness of breath and was pronounced dead at 12:58 a.m.
On Feb. 16, Jairo Garcia-Hernandez, a 27-year-old migrant from Guatemala convicted of criminal possession of a weapon and impersonating an officer, died at Larkin Community Hospital in Miami after collapsing and becoming unresponsive.
That same day, Lorth Sim, a 59-year-old Cambodian national with prior convictions, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Miami Correctional Facility in Miami County. Despite lifesaving efforts by staff and emergency responders, he was pronounced dead at 7:10 a.m. His cause of death remains under investigation.
Five immigrants also died in ICE custody in January.
They include Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban national who died Jan. 3 at Camp East Montana after experiencing medical distress; Luis Gustavo Nunez Caceres, a 42-year-old Honduran migrant who died Jan. 5 at HCA Houston Healthcare in Conroe after being admitted for chronic heart-related conditions; Victor Manuel Diaz, a 36-year-old Nicaraguan immigrant who died Jan. 14 at Camp East Montana in El Paso; Heber Sanchaz Domínguez, a 34-year-old Mexican national who died Jan. 14 at the Robert A. Deyton Detention Center in Georgia; and Parady La, a 46-year-old Cambodian national who died Jan. 9 at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.
According to ICE, all of the deaths remain under investigation.
Felicia J. Persaud is the founder and publisher of NewsAmericasNow.com, the only daily syndicated newswire and digital platform dedicated exclusively to Caribbean Diaspora and Black immigrant news across the Americas.
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