Haitian Asylum Seeker Dies in US Custody After Untreated Tooth Infection
A Haitian man who had been held at an Arizona immigration detention centre for months has died in hospital after a tooth infection was left untreated, according to his brother. The death has raised serious questions about medical care standards within the US immigration detention system.
Brother Details Medical Neglect Allegations
Emmanuel Damas, 56, reportedly informed medical staff at the Florence Correctional Center about his toothache in mid-February, but was never referred to a dentist. His brother, Presly Nelson, stated that facility personnel failed to take his brother's complaints seriously, despite the condition being easily treatable.
"As a country — I'm an American now — I think we can do better than that," Nelson said, expressing disbelief that such a death could occur in the United States rather than in nations with poorer healthcare access.
Growing Number of Custody Deaths
Damas becomes at least the ninth individual to die while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody this year. Earlier on Wednesday, ICE officials announced another death: Mexican national Alberto Gutierrez-Reyes, who died in hospital on February 27 after reporting chest pain and shortness of breath at a California detention facility.
The Department of Homeland Security has not yet responded to requests for comment regarding Damas's death. ICE had indicated it planned to issue a news release on Wednesday.
Medical Professional Expresses Outrage
Chandler City Council member Christine Ellis, a Haitian American registered nurse contacted by Damas's family after his death, voiced strong condemnation. "As a medical person, I am absolutely appalled that there were medical-licensed people that were working there and allowed those things to happen," Ellis said. "It does not make sense to me."
Details of Detention and Pending Investigation
Damas was taken into ICE custody in September and transferred to the medium-security Florence Correctional Center, where he remained for several months—including after his asylum application was denied. As of Wednesday, the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office listed his cause of death as "pending."
CoreCivic, the for-profit corrections company operating the Florence facility, did not respond to emails seeking comment on the allegations of medical neglect. The case underscores ongoing debates about healthcare provision and oversight in immigration detention centres across the United States.
