The San Diego, CA-based Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) has strongly condemned the death of a Haitian national in the custody of the United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
ICE said on Friday, Feb. 6, that Emanuel Cleeford Damas, who was facing criminal charges for assault and battery, died in ICE custody at HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center (SOMC) John C. Lincoln Medical Center (JLMC) on March 2 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
“He was pronounced dead at 1:12 p.m. after becoming unresponsive,” ICE said in a statement. “Despite lifesaving efforts by facility staff, Damas died. The SOMC physician reported the preliminary cause of death as unknown at this time.”
But Guerline Jozef, HBA executive director, told Caribbean Life on Saturday that Damas died at a Scottsdale hospital “after reportedly suffering complications linked to an untreated tooth infection while detained at the Florence ICE facility, raising serious concerns about access to timely medical care for immigrants in government custody.
“Damas’ death is part of a deeply troubling pattern,” Jozef said, noting that at least 30-32 people died in ICE detention in 2025.
“The crisis appears to be continuing into this year,” Jozef continued. “Multiple deaths have already been reported in the early months of 2026, including four migrants [who] died while in US immigration custody, in the first 10 days alone in 2026.
“Far too many immigrants — including Haitian nationals — have died in ICE custody,” she said. “The death of Emmanuel Damas is a devastating reminder that our immigration detention system is failing the most basic standard of human dignity. People seeking safety should not die from untreated medical conditions while in government custody.”
Jozef said these deaths demand “urgent accountability, transparency, and meaningful reform.”
She said HBA calls on federal authorities to launch independent investigations into deaths in immigration detention, ensure adequate medical care for all detainees, and expand humane, community-based alternatives to detention.
“The Haitian Bridge Alliance extends its deepest condolences to the family of Emmanuel Damas and to all families who have lost loved ones in immigration detention,” Jozef said.
ICE said the Boston, MA Police Department arrested Damas for assault and battery on Sept. 14, 2025 and ICE Boston arrested Damas without incident at the Boston Police Department Nashua Street Jail in Boston the next day.
ICE said Damas was placed into its custody pursuant to the Lanken Riley Act, “which mandates the detention of individuals with pending immigration cases who pose a risk to public safety.”
“Upon his detention, he was provided with a medical screening, where staff found no serious new medical issues but ensured he would keep receiving prescriptions for a preexisting medical condition,” ICE said.
On Sept. 26, 2025, ICE said it transferred Damas to the Florence Detention Center in Florenze, Arizona, pending his immigration hearing.
He was ordered removed by an immigration judge on Jan. 6, 2026, ICE said.
On Jan. 27, it said Damas filed an appeal with the Board of Immigration appeals.
But ICE said Damas remained in its custody “pursuant to the Laken Riley Act mandatory detention requirements mandating his continued detention while the appeal was pending.”
On Feb. 19, 2026, ICE said Damas reported shortness of breath and was immediately sent to the Florence Anthem Hospital to receive care.
He was then transferred to the John C. Lincoln Medical Center Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Phoenix, AZ for “a higher level of care,” ICE said.
On Feb. 20, 2026, it said Damas remained in the ICU, intubated on a ventilator with 50 percent oxygen at John C. Lincoln Medical Center (JLMC).
ICE said an ultrasound of his heart was completed, along with many other tests, “that came back normal.”
On Feb. 21, 2026, ICE said Damas remained in the ICU with no changes to his status. He remained on a ventilator with 50 percent oxygen, ICE said.
It said the medical liaison for ICE relayed the next-of-kin contact information to the case manager at the hospital.
On that same date, ICE said a hospital case manager notified Damas’ next of kin.
On Feb. 22, 2026, ICE said Damas remained in the ICU on a ventilator.
ICE said the oxygen was turned down to 40 percent and that he remained “critical but stable.”
On Feb. 24, 2026, ICE said Damas remained in the ICU intubated and sedated on 55 percent oxygen per ventilator.
The JLMC conducted an abdominal ultrasound with negative results. His ammonia, liver function tests, and white blood cell counts returned elevated.
On Feb. 22, 2026, ICE said the JLMC conducted Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA) testing and blood cultures, and that Damas continued to receive multiple IV antibiotics.
ICE said the JLMC reported the likely diagnosis to be septic shock due to pneumonia.
On Feb. 25, 2026, ICE said Damas’ MRSA results “came back negative,” and that Damas continued with multiple IV antibiotics.
On Feb. 25, 2026, ICE said the JLMC transferred Damas to the SOMC for “a higher level of care and for a cardiothoracic workup.”
Before being transferred, ICE said he had two chest tubes placed on his right side and that “a thoracentesis was completed to help remove excess fluid from the pleural spaces around the lungs.”
On Feb. 26, 2026, ICE said Damas remained in the ICU at the SOMC intubated and sedated on a ventilator on 40 percent oxygen.
On that same date, ICE said the SOMC scheduled Damas for a right video assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) decortication procedure.
On Feb. 27, 2026, ICE said Damas remained at the SOMC in the ICU.
The next day, ICE said its medical liaison notified Damas’s next-of-kin that they were permitted to visit him.
On March 1, 2026, ICE said Damas’s next-of-kin and family members arrived at the SOMC and that they “remained with him throughout the night while he remained under guard.”
On March 2, 2026, ICE said Damas’s “health did not improve after the VATS procedure,” and that Damas continued to be intubated and sedated on a ventilator.
On March 2, 2026, at 1:12 p.m. MST (Mountain Standard Time – a time zone in North America, including Arizona, Colorado, and parts of Canada/Mexico), ICE said “a doctor at the SOMC, in Scottsdale, pronounced Damas deceased.
“The SOMC physician reported the preliminary cause of death as unknown at this time,” said ICE, stating that it is “committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments.
“Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay,” it added. “All people in ICE custody receive medical, dental and mental health intake screenings 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 alien denied emergency care.”
