Overview
- Staff at the GEO‑operated Rio Grande Processing Center found 56‑year‑old Emiliano Andrade‑Covarrubias unresponsive during a security check on Saturday and performed CPR before emergency responders declared him dead.
- ICE says Andrade‑Covarrubias was a lawful permanent resident who was detained at the Laredo port of entry on June 26 for an alleged failure to disclose a 2004 arrest and that he was in removal proceedings.
- Family members say he had diabetes, high blood pressure and a heart condition, that he brought medication into custody which staff would not give him, and that medical complaints were ignored.
- U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar has toured the facility and requested surveillance video and medical records, and Mexico’s Foreign Ministry said it will file a complaint and provide consular and legal support to the family.
- This is the seventh death of a person detained by ICE in Texas this year and the second at a Laredo facility, a pattern that has increased scrutiny of medical care, contractor oversight and federal transparency.