Mexican national dies in ICE custody after being referred to local hospital day prior

LOS ANGELES - Ismael Ayala-Uribe, 39, of Mexico, was an illegal alien in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Victor Valley Global Medical Center in Victorville when he was pronounced deceased at 2:32 a.m. Sept. 22.

Ayala was detained at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in Adelanto and was evaluated by an on-call medical provider Sept. 18, provided medication, and returned to his dormitory. He was referred to the Victor Valley Global Medical Center at noon Sept. 21 to further evaluate an abscess on his buttock and was scheduled for surgery on the abscess. Ayala was also hypertensive and displayed abnormal tachycardia. At 1:48 a.m. the Victor Valley Global Medical Center declared Ayala unresponsive and initiated lifesaving measures. He was declared deceased at 2:32 a.m. by medical staff.

The cause of death is still under investigation.

Ayala entered the United States at an unknown date and location. He applied for, and received, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals in 2012. He was convicted of his first DUI Sept. 23, 2015, in the Superior Court of California in Orange County, and sentenced to three years of probation.

In 2016, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services denied his application to renew his DACA status. He was convicted of his second DUI June 12, 2019, in the Superior Court of California in Orange County, and sentenced to 120 days in jail plus five years of probation.

Ayala was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Aug. 17 during an enforcement action and was transferred to Adelanto Aug. 22 for immigration proceedings.

Consistent with ICE policy, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations notified the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Office of Inspector General and the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility via the Integrity Coordination Center. ERO provided telephone notification of the death to the Consulate of Mexico.

ICE makes official notifications to Congress, nongovernmental organization stakeholders and the media upon an official report of a detained illegal alien's death and posts a news release with relevant details on the ICE public website within two business days per agency policy. This information may be accessed in the ICE.gov Newsroom. Additionally, congressional requirements described in the DHS Appropriations Bill of 2018 require ICE to make public all reports regarding an in-custody death within 90 days.

These reports may be accessed on the Detainee Death Reporting page.

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. All people in ICE custody receive medical, dental and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility, a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arrival at a facility, access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. At no time during detention is a detained illegal alien denied emergent care.