A 68-year-old man from Honduras who had been held at a migrant detention center in Calexico died last week after a medical emergency, federal officials announced, marking the latest in-custody death in Imperial County in months and among four across the country that U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has announced so far this year.
Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz was taken to John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital for “heart-related issues,” according to ICE, several weeks after arriving at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility. He died in the early morning hours of Jan. 6, the agency said.
His death is raising questions about the level of medical intervention detainees receive while in the custody of immigration authorities. It is also renewing calls for greater transparency in the agency’s health standards and public reporting, and oversight of its detention centers.
"It's been a surprise to the family that his passing has been cited as health complications," said Natalie Cisneros, a family friend who offers resources to day laborers like Yanez-Cruz. "These health complications did not predate his time at the detention center."
She said the family is left wondering whether conditions at the facility "triggered his health complications."
"These spaces are often stressful and have very, very difficult living conditions," Cisneros added.
Limited details on Yanez-Cruz’s death
ICE’s announcement of Yanez-Cruz’s death offers limited details into what led to his death and the level of care he received.
In its news release, the agency said that the Honduran man was evaluated for chest pain on Jan. 4 at the detention center’s medical unit. He was then taken to El Centro Regional Medical Center and later to John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Indio, about 100 miles north of the facility, “for a higher level of care.”
Cisneros said that Yanez-Cruz began experiencing stomach pains after arriving at the Imperial facility.
"Three or four days after arriving to Calexico, California, he started reporting symptoms of stomach pain," she said. "Every time he ate, he felt like he was going to throw up. These are things that were reported in phone calls with his daughter and also with his son."
Yanez-Cruz tried seeking medical attention at the detention center, "but often they (facility staff) would provide pills or, like, kind of Band-Aid solutions," Cisneros added.
His symptoms, like fatigue and shortness of breath, worsened.
Yanez-Cruz’s daughter wonders why her father sounded nervous every time she asked about the facility’s conditions, said Cisneros.
“By the time that they're on these phone calls with their families, they feel so disheartened and feel so neglected by the detention center,” said Cisneros. “It's hard to tell these truths to your loved one who's on the outside, knowing that these detention centers are withholding so much information, not allowing people to see the truth behind the walls, not even elected officials.”
Immigration and Customs Enforcement did not respond to a request for comment.
Management and Training Corporation (MTC), the Utah-based private prison company ICE contracts with to run the facility, provided an emailed statement. However, spokesperson Emily Lawhead declined to say more about Yanez-Cruz’s death beyond what ICE had announced in its news release, citing “respect for resident privacy and (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) protections.”
Lawhead added that Yanez-Cruz “was treated quickly and promptly by medical staff before being sent to the hospital for further, more comprehensive care.”
Yanez-Cruz was originally from Honduras. New Jersey had been home for the last 26 years, said Cisneros.
Family, friends and day laborers knew him as lively, healthy and a great conversationalist. Cisneros said she first met him through her community work.
"Other day laborer friends referred to him as his nickname 'pico de oro,'" said Cisneros. "It's a name that's often used for people who are not just eloquent but also outspoken and have the 'gift of the gab.'"
ICE said Yanez-Cruz entered the U.S. without legal status and was arrested in June 1993 in Texas. He allegedly reentered the country without authorization. The agency said that the Honduran man submitted several applications for temporary protected status between 1999 and 2012, but all were denied. A reason was not provided.
Federal agents arrested him on Nov. 16 in New Jersey before transferring him to the Calexico detention center.
Renewed calls for accountability
Migrant advocates said they are once again heartbroken by the news of another death in ICE custody at the Imperial County detention center.
"People are just supposed to be processed for a civil procedure," said Bryan Vega, a member of the Imperial Liberation Collaborative who has visited the detention center. "No one is supposed to suffer the circumstances and undergo the experiences that they are right now."
Sergio Ojeda, the lead community organizer for the Imperial Valley Equity and Justice nonprofit, said, "It's hard to start the year knowing that another family is devastated by this, and it's happening across the United States."
In late September, another man died in ICE custody at the Imperial County detention center. More than 30 people died in ICE custody in 2025, the highest in decades, according to a review by NPR.
This year, four people have died, including Yanez-Cruz, according to ICE announcements.
A memorial was scheduled for Friday night in Coachella. In a GoFundMe page, Yanez-Cruz’s family said they hope to repatriate his body to Honduras.
