A lawful permanent resident detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Texas died over the weekend, prompting public outcry about why he was detained in the first place.
Mexican citizen and U.S. green card recipient Emiliano Andrade-Covarrubias died on Saturday while being held at ICE’s Rio Grande Processing Center in South Texas. Andrade-Covarrubias had been in detention since June after being taken into custody attempting to re-enter the United States from Mexico, where U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers encountered him.
ICE has not disclosed the detainee’s cause of death, but the incident has received significant attention given that Andrade-Covarrubias was not an illegal immigrant and had been detained for four months.
In a statement shared with the Washington Examiner on Tuesday, ICE said Andrade-Covarrubias was arrested by CBP at the Juarez-Lincoln Bridge in Laredo, Texas, on June 26 because officers determined that he “obtained [lawful permanent status] through fraudulent means by failing to disclose his previous arrest during the review process.”
The Supreme Court ruled in June that CBP officers at ports of entry were allowed to take custody of people with lawful permanent residency if they learned the individual had a criminal history, such as an arrest or conviction. Andrade-Covarrubias had been in detention and in deportation proceedings before an immigration judge to determine if he had illegally obtained his green card.
The ICE facility where Andrade-Covarrubias died is located in Laredo, Texas, which is part of Rep. Henry Cuellar’s (D-TX) district. Cuellar said he toured the facility the same day that Andrade-Covarrubias was found unconscious in his bed.
“Yesterday, I inspected the Rio Grande Processing Center in Laredo, where I spoke with staff about the medical procedures at the facility,” Cuellar said in a statement. “Because the death is still under investigation, staff could not provide details specific to Mr. Andrade-Covarrubias’ case.”
Cueller submitted seven questions for ICE related to the incident, including whether the detainee had asked for medical attention within three days of his death.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Monday that the government intends to file a complaint with U.S. authorities over Andrade-Covarrubias’s death.
ICE has maintained that the detainee received “proper medical care and was seen by medical professionals” given his documented medical history of diabetes, hypertension, and anxiety.
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“On Oct. 17, at approximately 9:48 a.m. CST, Andrade was found unresponsive in his assigned bed at the Rio Grande Processing Center in Laredo, Texas,” ICE said in its statement. “Security staff declared a medical emergency and immediately began life saving measures. The Laredo Fire Department Emergency Medical Service was called and despite life-saving efforts, at 10:10 a.m. Andrade was declared deceased.”
Andrade-Covarrubias is the seventh detainee to die in an ICE facility in Texas this year, according to the Texas Tribune.