Trinidad and Tobago national in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody passed away

Charles Leo Daniel, a Trinidad and Tobago national aged 61, who was being held by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at the Northwest ICE Processing Centre, is said to have passed away a week ago.

Daniel was declared dead by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) from the Tacoma Fire Department on the 7th of March at 11:35 am PST. The preliminary cause of death, according to official records, is unknown, which has sparked intrigue in this case.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Office of Inspector General, and the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility were informed of Daniel’s death by the agency, in accordance with preset protocols.

Daniel was jailed after being convicted of murder by the King County Superior Court on the 29th of October, 2003. He was sentenced to 220 months in prison, as well as 24 to 48 months of community custody.

Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) came into the equation initially on the 20th of July, 2015, at the Washington Corrections Centre in Shelton, Washington, which is where Daniel was being held at that point. Subsequently, Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) took custody of Daniel on the 31st of March, 2020.

On the 14th of December, 2020, an immigration judge issued an order which said that Daniel must be removed from the United States and sent to his country of origin.

Following this incident, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has said that the agency maintains its commitment to ensuring that those in its custody, are kept in humane conditions and are in a safe and secure environment.

In accordance with this motive, ICE provides top-notch medical care from the moment an individual is in custody.

The agency issued the following statement, clarifying its stance on the matter, “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, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. At no time during detention is a detained noncitizen denied emergent care.”

The agency also explained the procedure initiated by it when a noncitizen detainee passes away. The Congress, non-governmental organisation stakeholders and the media receive an official notification from the ERO, which also sends out a news release via its public website with all the details that might be relevant to the case within the span of two business days.

It is also stipulated that ICE must publicly release all reports in the event of an in-custody death within a span of 90 days.