Family of Mexican man and former DACA recipient who died in ICE custody demands answers
The family of Ismael Ayala-Uribe, the 39-year-old Mexican man and former DACA recipient who died in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement last week, demanded answers during a press conference on Tuesday.
"I still don't understand it. How did this happen?" Ayala's mother, Lucia Uribe, asked.
She says that she spoke with Ayala two or three times a day when he was being held at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, and that she could hear him getting sicker as time progressed. He told her that he was taking medication, but that it wasn't anything strong enough to kill an infection.
The family is still waiting on the official autopsy results from the San Bernardino County Coroner. Ayala died on Sept. 21 while awaiting surgery for an abscess on his buttock, ICE said at the time of his death.
When he was arrested on Aug. 17 during a targeted immigration enforcement operation at a Fountain Valley car wash, family members said he was healthy.
"There was no reason to believe he was in any sort of medical need. He was a healthy person," said Jesus Arias, an attorney representing the family.
After a month in custody, family members said his medical condition began to deteriorate. When he was finally taken to the hospital on Sept. 21, they said that the detention center never informed them.
"It was other detainees who use their money and time to call the family and say, 'Hey, something happened to your son,'" Arias said.
After Ayala's death, ICE shared a statement, which said, in part: "ICE remains committed to ensuring that all those in its custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments. ... Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay."
Ayala is the 14th person to die in ICE custody since the start of the year, and the first-known death in a California detention center.
The San Bernardino County Sheriff's Department is also investigating the manner and cause of death.
The family's attorneys say they're exploring all legal options and possible actions that can be taken, including civil lawsuits.
Ayala, who worked at an Orange County carwash for 15 years before he was detained, became a Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipient in 2012. The policy allowed undocumented immigrants who were brought into the U.S. as children to live and work without fear of deportation. In 2016, however, his renewal was denied.
ICE officials said that he was twice convicted of DUI. In 2015, he was sentenced to three years' probation for his first conviction. He received 120 days in jail and five years of probation when he was convicted of his second DUI in 2019.
