ICE Detainee Dies from Untreated Tooth Infection, Officials and Family Allege
A 56-year-old Haitian asylum seeker has died in federal custody after struggling for weeks to receive medical treatment for a severe tooth infection, according to Arizona officials and family members. Emmanuel Damas, a father of two who fled Haiti and sought asylum in the United States, passed away while hospitalized for complications arising from the untreated dental condition.
Timeline of Medical Neglect
According to Chandler City Councilwoman Christine Ellis, a registered nurse and Haitian-American official, Damas began complaining about a toothache on February 12 while detained at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Arizona. His brother Presly Nelson reported that Damas was only given ibuprofen for pain relief despite repeated requests for proper medical attention.
After two weeks of worsening symptoms without adequate care, Damas collapsed and was transferred to a Scottsdale hospital. By the time his family arrived from Boston to visit him, he was already intubated and in a coma. He died nine days later, on Monday, according to family statements.
"When we got there he had been in this coma for the last nine days," Nelson told ACB15. "We believe in God. We thought a miracle could happen."
Growing Scrutiny of ICE Facilities
Damas is expected to become at least the tenth person to die in ICE custody this year, with the agency acknowledging eight deaths and local officials reporting two additional in-custody fatalities in Arizona and California. This incident has intensified congressional and local scrutiny of medical treatment standards within immigration detention facilities.
Councilwoman Ellis, who learned details of the case from Damas' family and viewed photographs of him unconscious in intensive care, expressed profound distress over the circumstances. "I am deeply heartbroken by news of his death," she stated, adding that his struggle "raises serious and painful concerns about the quality of care provided to individuals in custody."
Democratic Representative Yassamin Ansari echoed these concerns, writing: "No one should die under such horrific conditions. After four oversight visits to ICE facilities in Arizona, I've witnessed inhumane treatment and medical neglect firsthand. I will continue fighting to stop this."
Broader Context of Immigration Detention
Damas entered the United States in 2024 under humanitarian protections established during the Biden administration, which expired two years later. He was arrested in Boston in September 2025 and transferred to the Arizona detention center. His death occurs amid accelerated immigration enforcement efforts since Donald Trump's return to the White House, with over 60,000 people currently held in ICE detention centers nationwide.
Homeland Security officials have consistently defended the medical care provided to detainees, stating that comprehensive services including dental screening within 12 hours of arrival, full health assessments within 14 days, and access to emergency care are standard protocol. An agency spokesperson previously claimed this represents "the best healthcare many aliens have received in their entire lives."
However, this case adds to mounting allegations of inadequate medical treatment across the detention system. Recent lawsuits have cited unsanitary conditions, measles outbreaks in multiple facilities, and documented mistreatment of children in family detention camps. Officials in New York are separately investigating the death of a Rohingya refugee last seen in Border Patrol custody.
The Independent has requested comment from Homeland Security regarding Damas' death and the specific allegations of medical neglect in his case.
