Is Being detained by ICE a potential “Death Sentence”?

By Nisie

2025 broke a grim record for ICE detention centers when there were a reported 32 detainee deaths across ICE detention centers in the United States. Compared to just 7 years ago in 2018, when there were just seven deaths, this is a stunning increase. Causes of death range from seizure and heart failure, stroke, respiratory failure, tuberculosis, or suicide. And according to Detention Watch Network (DWN), most of these deaths were totally preventable and caused by chronic over-staffing, improper medical care, and overcrowding. Human Rights Watch (HRW) has also sounded the alarm about the increasingly dangerous situation. Belin Wille of Human Rights Watch expressed their concern, saying, “People in immigration detention are being treated as less than human. “These are not isolated incidents, but rather the result of a fundamentally broken detention system that is rife with serious abuses.” The lack of transparency makes oversight even more difficult, and the records made available are incredibly vague.

                 The Tragic Death of AVELLENEDA-Delgado, Abelardo 

In 2005 and in 2021, several law enforcement agencies charged AVELLENEDA-Delgado with crimes ranging from marijuana possession to simple battery, family violence, and cruelty to children. All horrible crimes, but they do not reach the threshold to be sentenced to death. But some may say he paid the ultimate price for his crimes when, on May 5, 2025, he died while being transported to a detention center in Statenville, GA. The detainee death report provided by ICE leaves the grim details up to the imagination since it is seriously lacking for a death report. In a span of less than two hours, Mr. Avelleneda was found unresponsive during transport, observed not to have a pulse or respirations, and then pronounced deceased by the coroner’s office. The report also stated that when EMS arrived on scene, no life-saving measures were performed. He was 68 years old.

                 This is just one of many unjustifiable deaths that have occurred under the watch of the US immigration and Customs Enforcement. With the number of detainees growing to over 73,000 people , and a lack of oversight, we are sure to see more tragic ICE detainee deaths. 

Resources:      

-              U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Detainee Death Report: AVELLENEDA-Delgado, Abelardo https://www.ice.gov/doclib/foia/reports/ddrAbelardoAvellenedaDelgado.pdf