Mexican national, former DACA recipient dies in ICE custody after arrest in August

A Mexican national and former DACA recipient died in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Sunday, according to federal authorities.

Ismael Ayala-Uribe, 39, was arrested by ICE agents on Aug. 17 during an enforcement operation, told a news release from ICE. He was transferred to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center on Aug. 22 for immigration proceedings.

While detained, agents say that Ayala was evaluated by an on-call medical provider on Sept. 18. He was provided medication, according to ICE, and returned to his bedroom before he was later referred to the hospital on Saturday for further evaluation of an abscess on his buttock.

Ayala was scheduled for surgery and was “hypertensive and displayed normal tachycardia,” the release said. At around 1:50 a.m., hospital staff declared Ayala unresponsive, and less than an hour later, he was pronounced dead despite attempted lifesaving measures, according to ICE.

While speaking with CBS News, Ayala’s mother said that he died after suffering cardiac arrest.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department is also investigating the manner and cause of death, they told CBS News Los Angeles.

Ayala’s family said that he was in good health when he was transferred to Adelanto. They told Ayala to receive medical care, as they could see he was sick when they visited him every Saturday after he was detained in Fountain Valley, an Orange County suburb. He allegedly told them that he wasn’t provided medical care by facility officials.

He is the 14th detainee to die in ICE custody since President Trump took office in January, and the first-known death in California’s immigration detention centers.