Legal US Resident Dies in ICE Custody After Daughter Alleges Staff Refused To 'Give Him His Medications'

Emiliano Andrade-Covarrubias, a lawful US permanent resident, died in ICE custody in Laredo, Texas, on Saturday, with his daughter alleging that detention staff withheld his medication while the agency maintains that he received proper medical care.

The 56-year-old Mexican national had been held since 26 June, when immigration officers detained him returning to Texas from Mexico. ICE alleges that he obtained his legal status fraudulently, a claim his daughter disputes.

Staff found him unconscious in bed at the Rio Grande Processing Center on Saturday morning. ICE reported that they performed chest compressions and called emergency services, but he was declared dead about 20 minutes after being discovered.

On Monday, the agency stated that his cause of death remained unknown, with an autopsy pending at the Webb County Medical Examiner.

Medical Complaints During ICE Custody

His daughter, Estefani Andrade, told The Texas Tribune that her father had a heart condition, diabetes and high blood pressure.

He had medication with him when detained, she alleged, but staff would not 'give him his medications'.

She described growing concern within the family when he reported feeling ill and developing a cough. He had been hospitalised with COVID-19 in 2021, which she explained had lasting consequences for his health.

Andrade alleged that her father sought assistance from medical staff but told her that 'they would just ignore him'. She also described his complaints of difficulty breathing and chest tightness, which she alleged staff dismissed.

ICE said he was seen by medical professionals and maintained that the care he received was appropriate.

Green Card Dispute Behind ICE Custody

ICE confirmed his permanent residency in a statement issued a day after his death was reported. The agency alleges that Andrade-Covarrubias failed to disclose a 2004 theft arrest during the process through which he obtained legal residency. Officers detained him at a Laredo port of entry on that basis, the agency stated.

Andrade maintains that her father disclosed his criminal record during the application process and immigration officials approved his green card. He was in removal proceedings before an immigration judge.

For decades, Andrade-Covarrubias had lived in Dallas, where he raised three children, all born in the US. He earned his living painting apartments and townhomes. His daughter explained that his frequent trips to Mexico were connected to a house he was building there, and that he planned to return.

Questions Remain Over ICE Custody Death

Andrade-Covarrubias was the seventh person reported to have died in ICE detention in Texas this year and the second at a Laredo facility.

The first was Geraldo Lunas Campos, whose death was ruled a homicide by the El Paso Medical Examiner's office in January.

ICE reported that Felix Alcorta-Rodriguez, a 63-year-old Mexican held at Webb County Detention Center, died on 19 June after being found unresponsive.

US Representative Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from Laredo, inspected the facility where Andrade-Covarrubias had been held on Sunday. He told the Tribune that he questioned staff about medical procedures, but they could not provide details about the case because the death remained under investigation.

'Any death in federal custody is a serious matter, and we need to know what happened,' Cuellar stated on Monday. He has sent ICE written questions seeking further information about the case.