Overview
- Federal officials say 56-year-old Emiliano Andrade-Covarrubias was found unresponsive in his cell and declared dead after life-saving measures at the Rio Grande Processing Center on Saturday, Oct. 17.
- ICE says Andrade-Covarrubias was a lawful permanent resident detained at a Laredo port of entry in June over an alleged failure to disclose a 2004 arrest and that his cause of death is unknown pending the Webb County autopsy.
- Family members say he had diabetes, high blood pressure and a heart condition, that he brought medicines into detention which staff would not give him, and that staff ignored reports of breathing trouble and chest tightness.
- U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar inspected the facility and has formally requested surveillance video and medical records, and Mexico’s Foreign Ministry announced it will file a complaint and offer consular support.
- Advocates and officials note this is the seventh death in ICE custody in Texas this year and the case will shape ongoing scrutiny of medical care, transparency, and oversight at GEO Group-run detention centers.