The body of Emiliano Andrade-Covarrubias, a 56-year-old Mexican migrant, was found in his cell at a federal immigration center in Laredo, Texas. This migrant, who was found unconscious during a security check by the staff at the Rio Grande processing center, is the seventh individual to die in custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in 2026.
Increase in Mortality in Immigration Detention Centers
The first death of this year was related to Geraldo Lunas Campos, which was declared a homicide by the El Paso medical examiner in January. Andrade-Covarrubias is also the second person to die this year in an ICE facility in Laredo, Texas. Felix Alcorta-Rodriguez, a 63-year-old Mexican man, died on June 19 after becoming unconscious in the Webb County detention center.
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The increase in migrant fatalities is not limited to Texas. According to the latest statistics from human rights organizations, at least 28 migrants have died in ICE detention facilities across the U.S. since the beginning of 2026. The year 2025 also recorded 33 deaths, marking the highest annual mortality rate of detained migrants in the U.S. in over 25 years.
Negligence in Providing Healthcare Services
Human Rights Watch and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) have emphasized in their recent reports that with the increase in the detained population to over 60,000 in 2026, the mortality rate in U.S. detention facilities has reached its highest level in 20 years. Negligence in providing healthcare, staff indifference to vital signs and underlying illnesses, failure to timely deliver prescribed medications, and delays in transferring seriously ill patients to hospitals are among the factors that have led to these deaths.
Human rights observers have also noted that a significant portion of these facilities are managed by private contractors who ignore basic healthcare standards to cut costs. Systematic neglect of detainees' medical requests has become a structural practice, calling for immediate intervention and increased transparency in this area.
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