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  • Trump defends immigration crackdown at State of Union as approval ratings plummet

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    WASHINGTON — To defend an increasingly unpopular immigration crackdown during his State of the Union speech, President Trump highlighted the victims of crimes perpetuated by undocumented immigrants.

    But as Democrats pointed out, the president’s lengthy speech made no reference to the U.S. citizens, including Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis, who were killed by immigration agents.

    Recent polls show public approval of Trump’s immigration policies has fallen to record lows level since he returned to the White House. One poll, released Feb. 17 by Reuters and the market research firm Ipsos, showed just 38% of respondents felt Trump was doing a good job on immigration.

    Another poll, published last month by Fox News, showed 59% of voters say U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is “too aggressive.”

    “As President Trump brags about his immigration enforcement at tonight’s State of the Union, I can think only of Renee Nicole Good, Alex Pretti and the three dozen people who have died in ICE custody since Trump took office,” Rep. Mark DeSaulnier (D-Concord) wrote on X.

    Within the first few minutes of his address on Tuesday night, Trump highlighted “the strongest and most secure border in American history, by far.” He also offered — at least momentarily — a softer tone, adding that “We will always allow people to come in legally, people that will love our country and will work hard to maintain our country.”

    In reality, the administration has restricted legal immigration. It has revoked humanitarian benefits for hundreds of thousands of people, and placed an indefinite pause on all asylum applications filed with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

    Guests invited by various lawmakers to attend Trump’s speech offered dueling visions of the administration’s mass deportation effort.

    Rep. Randy Feenstra (R-Iowa) said he would bring the father and brother of Sarah Root, who was killed in 2016 after a drunk driver, who was in the U.S. illegally, crashed into her vehicle. Trump held an event Monday for “angel families,” those with a relative who was killed by an undocumented immigrant, and signed a proclamation honoring such victims of crimes.

    Democrats, meanwhile, invited immigrants, family members of those detained or deported, and U.S. citizens who were violently arrested by immigration agents.

    Rep. Mike Levin (D-San Juan Capistrano), for example, said he was bringing the daughter of a Laguna Niguel couple deported last year to Colombia after their arrest during a routine check-in with ICE. And Rep. Jesus Garcia (D-Ill.) invited Marimar Martinez, a Chicago woman shot five times by Border Patrol Agent Charles Exum.

    On X, the Department of Homeland Security shot back at Democrats with immigrant guests, saying the lawmakers are “once again prioritizing illegal aliens above the safety of American citizens.”

    On Tuesday morning, Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R-Fla.) held a news conference on “the state of immigration,” flanked by Christian pastors, in which she touted her Dignity Act, which would provide permanent legal status to immigrants who meet certain benchmarks.

    “Throughout the Scripture, there are two kinds of leaders: those who persecute faith communities and those who protect them,” she said.

    California Sen. Adam Schiff was among the Democrats to boycott Trump’s speech, and he cited immigration enforcement as one reason for his absence.

    “I have not missed the State of the Union in the 25 years I’ve been in Congress, but we have never had a president violate the Constitution, the laws every day with seeming impunity,” Schiff told Meidas Touch outside the Capitol. “We’ve never had masked armed, poorly trained agents, victimizing our cities, demanding to see people’s papers.”

    Trump repeated claims about immigration that have been debunked, such as his assertion that President Biden’s immigration polices allowed millions of people to pour into the U.S. from prisons and mental institutions.

    Trump also highlighted a figure he has often turned to — that Democrats let in “11,888 murderers.” That number, an inaccurate description of federal data, refers to immigrants who, over the course of decades (including the first Trump administration) were convicted of homicide, usually after their arrival in the U.S. Those immigrants are listed on ICE’s “non-detained docket” typically because they are currently serving their prison sentences.

    Turning to Minnesota, Trump said Somalis have defrauded $19 billion from American taxpayers — a disputed figure — and referred to them derogatorily as “Somali pirates.”

    Trump went beyond Somalis to disparage many immigrants, saying “there are large parts of the world where bribery, corruption and lawlessness are the norm, not the exception.”

    “Importing these cultures through unrestricted immigration and open borders brings those problems right here to the USA, and it is the American people who pay the price,” he said.

    Trump also highlighted the case of Dalilah Coleman, 6, of Bakersfield who was left with a traumatic brain injury after a 2024 car crash in California.

    He called on Congress to pass the Dalilah Law, which would bar states from granting commercial drivers licenses to immigrants without lawful status. He said, without proof, that “most illegal aliens do not speak English and cannot read even the most basic road signs.”

    A year after Dalilah’s accident her family met with Partap Singh, the detained Indian immigrant responsible for the crash, at the Mesa Verde ICE Processing Center in Bakersfield. Marcus Coleman, her father, told Fox26 News that the focus shouldn’t be on Singh’s legal status because similar accidents happen every day.

    Also present Tuesday night were the parents of Sarah Beckstrom, the West Virginia National Guard member shot and killed in Washington, D.C. by an Afghan immigrant, as well as Andrew Wolfe, who was also shot and survived.

    Trump awarded Wolfe and Beckstrom the Purple Heart. He called Rahmanullah Lakanwal, the man charged in the shooting, a “terrorist monster.” Lakanwal legally entered the U.S. from Afghanistan through a Biden administration program in 2021 and his asylum application was approved under the Trump administration last April.

    Turning his attention the fall’s midterm elections, Trump warned his supporters that if allowed back into power, Democrats would reopen the borders “to some of the worst criminals anywhere in the world.”

    Trump then invited legislators to stand if they agreed with him that “the first duty of the American government is to protect American citizens, not illegal aliens.”

    Republicans stood, offering one of the longest standing ovations of the night. Democrats remained seated.

    Trump told Democrats they should be ashamed for not standing up.

    “You have killed Americans!” Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) yelled from the audience. “You should be ashamed.”

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    Andrea Castillo

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  • Honduran father died in ICE custody in California. His family wants an investigation

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    A Honduran man who lived and worked in the U.S. for 26 years died after being held at a California immigration detention facility for more than a month, and his family is calling for an investigation, saying he complained of deteriorating health conditions before his death.

    Luis Beltrán Yanez-Cruz, 68, died on Jan. 6 at 1:18 a.m. at the John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Indio after suffering from heart-related health issues, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. He was being held at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Calexico before he was transferred to the hospital.

    Federal officials said Yanez-Cruz was “encountered” during a Nov. 16 enforcement operation in Newark, N.J., but he was not the target of the operation, his daughter said. He was put into removal proceedings, which were pending at the time of his death.

    A photo of Luis Beltrán Yanez-Cruz, 68, is displayed during his memorial. Yanez-Cruz died this month in ICE custody.

    His daughter, Josselyn Yanez, blames ICE for not taking his health concerns seriously and not providing medical attention as his health deteriorated. In a statement, ICE said Yanez-Cruz was put in the detention facility’s medical unit for chest pains before being sent to El Centro Regional Medical Center. He was then transported by helicopter to Indio.

    “There needs to be an investigation because this is not normal,” Yanez said. “He started having symptoms weeks ago; they could have done something.”

    In response to the family’s claims, a Homeland Security official said in a statement, “ICE has higher detention standards than most US prisons that hold actual US citizens. All detainees are provided with 3 meals a day, clean water, clothing, bedding, showers, and toiletries, and have access to phones to communicate with their family members and lawyers.”

    The Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Calexico

    Luis Beltrán Yanez-Cruz was being held at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Calexico before being hospitalized in Indio.

    (Google Maps)

    Last September another detainee at the facility died after experiencing a seizure at the facility, ICE officials said.

    As for Yanez-Cruz, officials said he illegally entered the U.S. and was arrested near Eagle Pass, Texas, in June 1993 and removed from the U.S. Between 1999 and 2012, the agency said, he submitted applications for temporary protected status but was denied.

    Yanez said claims that her father was deported and never granted TPS are false. She said her father had been granted TPS when he entered the U.S. in 1999, and it allowed him to visit Honduras on at least two occasions. His status lapsed because he was unable to renew it, she said.

    On Nov. 16 her father, who worked in construction, had gotten breakfast around 10 a.m. at a McDonald’s in Newark when he stopped to chat with friends in an area known for day laborers to gather and pick up work, she told The Times. Suddenly, ICE agents pulled up and began arresting people, including her father.

    Yanez, who lives in Houston, said she learned of it about an hour later. Her father was in detention in New Jersey before being moved to Calexico. He spent Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s in detention.

    Members of Todec Legal Center attend a memorial service

    Members of Todec Legal Center attend a memorial for Luis Beltrán Yanez-Cruz, who was from New Jersey and died far from home without any family by his side. “Although we did not know el señor Luis, his death being in our backyard, it’s so close to us,” a member of the immigrant rights group said. “It’s one pain after another. We did not know him, but his family’s pain is our pain.”

    Yanez-Cruz spent 26 years in the U.S., working construction and paint jobs to help his family get ahead, Yanez said.

    “He was an extraordinary father,” she said. “He was always looking out for us, even as we got older and became adults. He looked out for his grandchildren … He always worried about them and called to ask how they were doing.”

    He called regularly, even while he was detained, Yanez said. But his health appeared to worsen the longer he was in detention, she said, even though he had been healthy before his arrest.

    Inside the facility he was suffering from stomach and chest pains and sometimes felt like vomiting when he ate, she said. He suffered from shortness of breath walking around the facility and when he reported it to the staff, they only gave him pills to ease the pain, she said.

    Yanez said the last time she spoke to her father was Jan. 3, a usual check-in when he asked about her children as she walked home from work. At the end of the call he said “Cuidate, te amo mucho.” Take care, I love you a lot.

    Her brother spoke to him the next day and he seemed fine, she said. But as she waited for his call the following day she received one from a former detainee who told her he heard her father had been transferred to the medical unit after he had difficulty breathing. Yanez said she tried to call the facility but couldn’t get information until the next day when they called to tell her he died during the early morning hours.

    Parish staff and members of Todec Legal Center lead a procession after the memorial service.

    Parish staff and members of Todec Legal Center lead a procession after the memorial service.

    Yanez-Cruz’s passing hit family members hard because they were not there in his final moments, his daughter said. They have been sharing stories of his life and the sacrifices he made for them.

    Her father, she said, departed Honduras in 1999 after Hurricane Mitch devastated the country and left him, like millions of others, struggling in the aftermath. He traveled north to the U.S. to help his family, Yanez said, and continued to work hard. He made friends easily, she said, and when he died she received calls from people who met him and shared kind words.

    Luz Gallegos, executive director of Todec Legal Center, an immigrant rights group based in the Coachella Valley, said her group learned about Yanez-Cruz’s story after he died at the hospital in nearby Indio. On Friday the legal center helped organize a memorial mass in honor of Yanez-Cruz at the Our Lady of Soledad Catholic Church, to honor Yanez-Cruz and others who died in custody, Gallegos said.

    “Although we did not know el señor Luis, his death being in our backyard, it’s so close to us,” she said. “It’s one pain after another. We did not know him, but his family’s pain is our pain.”

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    Melissa Gomez

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  • Deaths in ICE custody raise serious questions, lawmakers say

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    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.

    Two Mexican immigrants — who had long made their homes in Orange County and were sent to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center north of Hesperia — were among the deaths.

    “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.

    He had lived in Westminster since he was 4 years old, and had previously been protected from deportation under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, known as DACA. The Times previously reported that his application for continued protection was not renewed in 2016.

    Ayala-Uribe’s relatives and members of Congress have alleged that he was denied proper medical care after being taken into ICE custody in August. Adelanto detention staff members were aware of his medical crisis, according to internal emails obtained by The Times. But Ayala-Uribe initially was taken back to his Adelanto dorm room, where he waited for another three days before being moved to Victor Valley Global Medical Center in Victorville.

    ICE officials acknowledged that Ayala-Uribe died at the Victorville hospital while waiting for surgery for an abscess on his buttock. The suspected cause of the sore was not disclosed.

    Ayala-Uribe’s cause of death is under investigation, ICE has previously said.

    A second man — Gabriel Garcia-Aviles, 56, who lived near Costa Mesa — died Oct. 23, about a week after being detained.

    ICE said Garcia-Aviles was arrested Oct. 14 in Santa Ana by the U.S. Border Patrol for an outstanding warrant, and eventually sent to the Adelanto center. ICE said in a previous statement that he was only at the Adelanto facility for a few hours before he was taken to the Victorville hospital for “suspected alcohol withdrawal symptoms.”

    His condition rapidly worsened.

    The deaths have focused attention on the treatment of detained immigrants as well as long-standing concerns about medical care inside Adelanto, one of the largest federal immigration detention centers in California. The situation raises broader concerns about whether immigration detention centers throughout the country are equipped to care for the deluge of people rounded up since President Trump prioritized mass deportations as part of his second-term agenda.

    “These deaths raise serious questions about ICE’s ability to comply with basic detention standards, medical care protocols, and notification requirements, and underscore a pattern of gross negligence that demands immediate accountability,” Min and Chu wrote in the letter to Noem and Todd M. Lyons, the acting director of ICE.

    The letter was signed by 43 other lawmakers, including Reps. Robert Garcia (D-Long Beach), J. Luis Correa (D-Santa Ana), John Garamendi (D-Walnut Grove) and Maxine Waters (D-Los Angeles).

    An ICE representative did not immediately respond to an email Saturday seeking comment.

    The lawmakers stressed the need to treat the immigrants with humanity.

    The lawmakers said Garcia-Aviles had lived in the U.S. for three decades. His family did not learn of his dire medical condition until “he was on his deathbed.” Family members drove to the hospital to find him “unconscious, intubated, and . . . [with] dried blood on his forehead” as well as “a cut on his tongue … broken teeth and bruising on his body.”

    “We never got the chance to speak to him anymore and [the family] never was called to let us know why he had been transferred to the hospital,” his daugher wrote on a GoFundMe page, seeking help to pay for his funeral costs. “His absence has left a hole in our hearts.”

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    Meg James

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  • Dad with cancer in ICE custody is separated from doctors, suit says, & more cases

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    Thousands of legal cases reach U.S. courts every year. Read on to learn about some of the latest cases, including a federal lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Michigan on behalf of a father, Jose Daniel Contreras-Cervantes, who is detained in ICE custody. This provided photo shows Contreras-Cervantes, his wife and their children.

    Thousands of legal cases reach U.S. courts every year. Read on to learn about some of the latest cases, including a federal lawsuit filed by the ACLU of Michigan on behalf of a father, Jose Daniel Contreras-Cervantes, who is detained in ICE custody. This provided photo shows Contreras-Cervantes, his wife and their children.

    ACLU of Michigan

    The summaries below were drafted with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists in our News division. All stories below were reported, written and edited by McClatchy journalists.

    Thousands of legal cases reach U.S. courts every year. From accusations of mistreatment in prisons to fraud to sexual abuse and beyond, here are some of the latest from across the country.

    Dad with leukemia in ICE custody is separated from his doctors in MI, suit says

    In Michigan, a federal lawsuit says Jose Daniel Contreras-Cervantes, a father of three with leukemia, is not receiving proper medical care while detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The ACLU of Michigan is advocating for his release, arguing that a new ICE directive is preventing bond hearings, which could allow for his conditional release. His family is concerned about his health and the time lost with him due to his detention, according to the ACLU. | Published Oct. 6 | Read More

    Deputy mayor faked bomb threat related to Israel at Los Angeles city hall, feds say

    In Los Angeles, former Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Brian K. Williams was sentenced to probation after pleading guilty to making a fake bomb threat, according to federal prosecutors Williams fabricated the threat due to stress and anxiety during a meeting, prosecutors say. Williams was not motivated by political reasons, but his actions diverted police resources and created a dangerous environment, prosecutors wrote in court documents. | Published Oct. 7 | Read More

    3 college students die trapped in burning Cybertruck, reports say. Lawsuits filed

    In California, the families of two college students have filed wrongful death lawsuits against Tesla after their children were trapped and died in a burning Cybertruck. The lawsuits say the vehicle’s design flaws, including inaccessible door handles and hidden emergency releases, left the occupants with no practical means of escape. The tragic incident has raised concerns about the safety of Tesla’s design, as the families seek justice and answers. | Published Oct. 7 | Read More

    Immigration lawyer critical of ICE has phone seized at MA airport, lawsuit says

    In Massachusetts, immigration attorney Andrew Lattarulo is suing the government after his phone was seized by federal agents at Boston Logan International Airport, according to his federal lawsuit. Lattarulo, who is critical of ICE, says the seizure was in retaliation for his public criticisms. A judge has temporarily prohibited the government from searching his phone, pending a hearing, court records show. | Published Oct. 10 | Read More

    Teacher fired over online Charlie Kirk posts wants her job back in TN, suit says

    In Tennessee, Susannah O’Brien is suing to get her job back after she says she was fired for Facebook posts about Charlie Kirk’s death. O’Brien argues her posts were shared as a private citizen and did not disrupt her school. She claims her termination violated her free speech rights and is seeking reinstatement and damages, according to her federal lawsuit. | Published Oct. 10 | Read More

    McClatchy News continues to follow lawsuits and legal cases from around the country. Check back for more legal stories.

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    Stories by Real-Time News team, with AI summarization

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  • Victim of Dallas ICE shooting released from hospital, in custody again

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    FBI agents investigate the scene where a shooting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility occurred in Dallas on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025.

    FBI agents investigate the scene where a shooting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility occurred in Dallas on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025.


    Chris Torres

    ctorres@star-telegram.com

    A victim wounded in the shooting at a Dallas ICE facility last month has been released from the hospital and is in custody again, ICE officials said in a statement.

    Venezuelan national Jose Andres Bordonez-Molina, 33, was taken into ICE custody on the day of the shooting following his release from the Hurst City Jail, according to the statement.

    Bordonez-Molina was being held in Hurst for a traffic offense, officials said.

    After he was shot, ICE officers administered first aid until emergency medical services arrived to take him to Parkland Hospital, according to the statement.

    Bordonez-Molina is being held at the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, according to the Dallas Morning News.

    The Prairieland center was itself the target of an anti-ICE attack in July.

    “The terrible losses and injuries that resulted from this attack are directly caused by the senseless and misleading political rhetoric that is being thrown around by politicians and activists,” ICE officials said. “This violence must stop.”

    Related Stories from Fort Worth Star-Telegram

    Lillie Davidson

    Fort Worth Star-Telegram

    Lillie Davidson is a breaking news reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. She graduated from TCU in 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, is fluent in Spanish, and can complete a crossword in five minutes.

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    Lillie Davidson

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  • ACLU seeks release of Michigan immigrant held in custody despite life-threatening leukemia

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    Federal authorities refuse to release a Michigan man in a pending deportation case, despite his life-threatening leukemia and the inconsistent health care he’s received while in custody since August, his lawyer said Thursday.Related video above: Massachusetts city council passes resolution barring police from assisting ICEThe American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan is seeking a bond hearing for Jose Contreras-Cervantes, which could allow him to return to his Detroit-area family and doctors while his case winds through immigration court. He’s currently being held at a detention center about three hours away.Contreras-Cervantes, a 33-year-old married father of three who has been living in the U.S. for about 20 years, but not legally, was arrested at an Aug. 5 traffic stop in Macomb County, near Detroit. He had no criminal record beyond minor traffic offenses, said ACLU lawyer Miriam Aukerman.Contreras-Cervantes was diagnosed last year with chronic myeloid leukemia, a life-threatening cancer of the bone marrow, said his wife, Lupita Contreras.”The doctor said he has four to six years to live,” she said.His detention is a consequence of the Trump administration’s policy of refusing to agree to bond hearings for immigrants if they entered the U.S. illegally, even if they lack a criminal record. The policy is a reversal of past practices and it has been successfully challenged, including this week in Washington state.”We don’t just lock people up and throw away the key,” Aukerman said. “Judges decide who should be behind bars. That is true for citizens and noncitizens. … Immigration cases can take months or even years.”U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had no immediate comment on the case.Contreras-Cervantes was shuttled from Michigan to Ohio and then back to Michigan and didn’t receive medication for 22 days, his wife said.He is now getting a substitute medication at North Lake Processing Center, a privately operated detention center in Baldwin, Michigan, not the specific medication recommended by his doctors, Aukerman said.The ACLU filed a petition Monday in U.S. District Court in Detroit, asking a judge to order bond hearings for Contreras-Cervantes and seven other people who are in custody.”What the (Trump) administration is doing is trying to crush people’s spirits, make them give up,” and agree to deportation, Aukerman said. “We’re saying no. They’re entitled to due process.”

    DETROIT —

    Federal authorities refuse to release a Michigan man in a pending deportation case, despite his life-threatening leukemia and the inconsistent health care he’s received while in custody since August, his lawyer said Thursday.

    Related video above: Massachusetts city council passes resolution barring police from assisting ICE

    The American Civil Liberties Union of Michigan is seeking a bond hearing for Jose Contreras-Cervantes, which could allow him to return to his Detroit-area family and doctors while his case winds through immigration court. He’s currently being held at a detention center about three hours away.

    Contreras-Cervantes, a 33-year-old married father of three who has been living in the U.S. for about 20 years, but not legally, was arrested at an Aug. 5 traffic stop in Macomb County, near Detroit. He had no criminal record beyond minor traffic offenses, said ACLU lawyer Miriam Aukerman.

    Contreras-Cervantes was diagnosed last year with chronic myeloid leukemia, a life-threatening cancer of the bone marrow, said his wife, Lupita Contreras.

    “The doctor said he has four to six years to live,” she said.

    His detention is a consequence of the Trump administration’s policy of refusing to agree to bond hearings for immigrants if they entered the U.S. illegally, even if they lack a criminal record. The policy is a reversal of past practices and it has been successfully challenged, including this week in Washington state.

    “We don’t just lock people up and throw away the key,” Aukerman said. “Judges decide who should be behind bars. That is true for citizens and noncitizens. … Immigration cases can take months or even years.”

    U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement had no immediate comment on the case.

    Contreras-Cervantes was shuttled from Michigan to Ohio and then back to Michigan and didn’t receive medication for 22 days, his wife said.

    He is now getting a substitute medication at North Lake Processing Center, a privately operated detention center in Baldwin, Michigan, not the specific medication recommended by his doctors, Aukerman said.

    The ACLU filed a petition Monday in U.S. District Court in Detroit, asking a judge to order bond hearings for Contreras-Cervantes and seven other people who are in custody.

    “What the (Trump) administration is doing is trying to crush people’s spirits, make them give up,” and agree to deportation, Aukerman said. “We’re saying no. They’re entitled to due process.”

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  • Former DACA recipient dies in ICE custody after being hospitalized

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    Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Tuesday that a Mexican national and former DACA recipient had died in their custody after being transferred to a local hospital in Victorville.

    Ismael Ayala-Uribe, 39 was pronounced dead Sunday at the Victor Valley Global Medical Center, according to an ICE statement.

    Ayala-Uribe is now the 14th detainee to die in immigration detention since January, when federal immigration officials began to carry out President Trump’s mass deportation agenda.

    News of his death comes on the day that two Democratic senators from Georgia sent a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Todd Lyons, the acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, raising concerns about the rise in the number of deaths in ICE custody, in particular two that occurred at the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. NPR was the first to report on the letter.

    In July, Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga) released the findings of a probe into alleged human rights violations that have occurred at immigration detention centers, including dozens of reports of physical and sexual abuse, and mistreatment of pregnant women and children. DHS rejected the senator’s allegations in a statement.

    In California, the Adelanto Detention Center, one of the largest in the state, has long been the focus of complaints from detainees, attorneys and state and federal inspectors about inadequate medical care, overly restrictive segregation and lax mental health services.

    In June, critics — including some staff who work inside — told The Times that conditions inside the detention center were unsafe and unsanitary. The facility, they said, was unprepared to handle the large waves of detainees pouring into the center.

    That month, U.S. Rep Judy Chu (D-Monterey Park), toured the detention center with four other Democratic members of Congress from California amid concern over the increasing number of detainees and deteriorating conditions inside.

    The facility’s manager “has to clearly improve its treatment of these detainees,” Chu said at a news conference after inspecting the facility.

    Some of the detainees told lawmakers they were held inside Adelanto for 10 days without a change of clothes, underwear or towels, Chu said. Others said they had been denied access to a telephone to speak to loved ones and lawyers, even after repeatedly filling out forms.

    A spokesperson for DHS could not immediately be reached for comment on Sunday’s death. But the agency said in its statement about Ayala-Uribe that immigration agencies such as ICE and Customs and Border Protection are committed to ensuring the safety of people who are in their custody.

    “Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay,” the agency’s statement read. “All people in ICE custody receive medical, dental and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility, a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arrival at a facility, access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. At no time during detention is a detained illegal alien denied emergent care.”

    According to the agency statement, Ayala-Uribe, a Mexican national, was being held at a processing center in Adelanto where he had been seen by an on-call medical provider, who prescribed medication to him, although immigration officials did not say why.

    But three days later, Ayala-Uribe was sent to the Victor Valley Global Medical Center to further evaluate an “abscess on his buttock” and was scheduled to undergo surgery for it, the statement said.

    “Ayala was also hypertensive and displayed abnormal tachycardia,” immigration officials wrote in the statement. “At 1:48 a.m. the [medical center] declared Ayala unresponsive and initiated lifesaving measures. He was declared deceased at 2:32 a.m. by medical staff.”

    According to ICE, Ayala-Uribe entered the United States at an unknown date and location. He applied for, and received, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals protection in 2012. He was sentenced to three years probation after he was convicted of driving while under the influence in 2015, the agency said.

    In 2016, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services denied his application to renew his DACA status. He was convicted of his second DUI in June 2019 and sentenced to 120 days in jail, plus five years of probation, according to ICE.

    Ayala-Uribe was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection on Aug. 17 and transferred to Adelanto on Aug. 22.

    Immigration officials said the cause of death is still under investigation. The Department of Homeland Security Appropriations Bill of 2018 requires that ICE make public reports regarding any in-custody deaths within 90 days.

    ICE officials said they make official notifications to Congress, nongovernmental organization stakeholders and the media about a detainee’s death and post a news release with relevant details on its website within two business days per the agency’s policy.

    Ayala-Uribe’s family has organized a fundraiser, selling tamales, carnitas and pozole on Saturday, to raise money for his funeral.

    Times staff writer Nathan Solis contributed to this report.

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    Ruben Vives, Jenny Jarvie

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  • Immigrant rights advocates demand change after incident near Apopka High School

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    The Hope Community Center and the Immigrants Are Welcome Here Coalition want change and action after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents appeared near an Orange County school during a traffic stop.That traffic stop happened outside Apopka High School on August 15 and ended with five people in ICE custody, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.The school went on a “secure hold” during the incident, but speakers at an Orange County Public Schools meeting Tuesday night said it took too long for people to be told about what happened.”Many families were left terrified without any clear communications or support, our schools should be a place for learning not a place of fear,” said Hope Community Center Executive Director Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet.Miguel Torres, a student at Apopka High School, said, “racial comments against the Latino community started going around on social media, which made the situation even worse.”School board chair Teresa Jacobs said there was some miscommunication and that the district has protocols, but they are limited in what they can do.Jacobs said that when ICE is actually on an OCPS campus, the district has more that it can do. “We immediately ask if we can reach out to the parents. If they say yes, great, we contact the parents. If they say no, we make them fill out a form saying that we’ve asked and they’ve declined.” she said.Aaron Kuen with Immigrants Are Welcome Here said, “I think madame chair was very clear that we do have an advocate. I definitely think that actions speak louder than words, so hopefully what she’s saying really does happen where there’s more accountability.”Speakers at the meeting said that many teachers don’t know what to do when ICE shows up.”Maybe we want to get some workshops for teachers to know exactly what to do for ICE when they do pop up,” said America Castillo.Renee Gomez with the Farmworkers Association of Florida said, “We’re looking for change, we’re looking for action. We want them to improve their policies. So, it was great, but we need more.” He continued, “We got promises that they’re going to do better. They said they dropped the ball and that they understand communication can be improved, and they promise to do that. So, we’re hoping this is a start of change.”

    ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. —

    The Hope Community Center and the Immigrants Are Welcome Here Coalition want change and action after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents appeared near an Orange County school during a traffic stop.

    That traffic stop happened outside Apopka High School on August 15 and ended with five people in ICE custody, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

    The school went on a “secure hold” during the incident, but speakers at an Orange County Public Schools meeting Tuesday night said it took too long for people to be told about what happened.

    “Many families were left terrified without any clear communications or support, our schools should be a place for learning not a place of fear,” said Hope Community Center Executive Director Felipe Sousa-Lazaballet.

    Miguel Torres, a student at Apopka High School, said, “racial comments against the Latino community started going around on social media, which made the situation even worse.”

    School board chair Teresa Jacobs said there was some miscommunication and that the district has protocols, but they are limited in what they can do.

    Jacobs said that when ICE is actually on an OCPS campus, the district has more that it can do. “We immediately ask if we can reach out to the parents. If they say yes, great, we contact the parents. If they say no, we make them fill out a form saying that we’ve asked and they’ve declined.” she said.

    Aaron Kuen with Immigrants Are Welcome Here said, “I think madame chair was very clear that we do have an advocate. I definitely think that actions speak louder than words, so hopefully what she’s saying really does happen where there’s more accountability.”

    Speakers at the meeting said that many teachers don’t know what to do when ICE shows up.

    “Maybe we want to get some workshops for teachers to know exactly what to do for ICE when they do pop up,” said America Castillo.

    Renee Gomez with the Farmworkers Association of Florida said, “We’re looking for change, we’re looking for action. We want them to improve their policies. So, it was great, but we need more.” He continued, “We got promises that they’re going to do better. They said they dropped the ball and that they understand communication can be improved, and they promise to do that. So, we’re hoping this is a start of change.”

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