Scripps News is gathering details about the death of another immigrant in ICE custody — a 56-year-old Haitian man who died after suffering from a tooth infection. His family is blaming a lack of medical care.
Emmanuel Damas had been detained since September at a private, for-profit ICE facility in Florence, Arizona. His brother, Presly Nelson, told the Scripps News Group in Phoenix that Damas had been suffering for weeks from an infected tooth.
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Nelson said medical staff gave Damas ibuprofen rather than sending him to a dentist. Days later, Damas was rushed to the hospital, where his condition deteriorated. The family said the infection had spread, and he was placed on a ventilator before he ultimately died.
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"The nurse said 'yeah, most likely he had a tooth infection and he did not get the proper attention,'" Nelson said. "That had spread to his neck then to his lungs and he went septic."
"All you have to do is get a driver and a security guard or two security guards to actually take him to a dentist," Presly added, saying his brother's death was preventable.
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The family is now demanding an investigation. The Department of Homeland Security has not immediately responded to questions about this case.
Scripps News' yearlong ICE Inc. investigative series has found that as ICE detains more undocumented immigrants, there has been a rise in complaints about inadequate health care and an increase in deaths of migrants in ICE custody. Clickhereto learn more.