Overview
- Luis Beltrán Yáñez‑Cruz died on January 6 at John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Indio after reporting chest pain on January 4 at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility.
- ICE says he was first evaluated at a regional medical center and then airlifted for higher-level care before he was pronounced dead.
- Yáñez‑Cruz was arrested in Newark on November 16, 2025, transferred from Delaney Hall in New Jersey to Calexico, and remained in custody pending removal proceedings.
- A formal cause of death has not been released, while his family says he became ill in custody and alleges he did not receive adequate treatment or timely notification.
- His death is reported as one of four in immigration custody in the first 10 days of 2026, following a fiscal year that saw unusually high detention fatalities even as ICE asserts it provides comprehensive, round-the-clock medical care.