Four immigrants die in ICE custody in the first 10 days of the year

Ema Alice: A 68-year-old undocumented immigrant from Honduras became the fourth detainee to have died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody over the first 10 days of 2026.

Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz died of heart-related issues at John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Indio, the agency said Monday. On Jan. 4, Yanez-Cruz, who was held at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Calexico, was transferred to the facility’s medical unit to be evaluated for chest pain.

He was later taken to El Centro Regional Medical Center and then to the Indio facility via helicopter for a higher level of care, authorities said. He was arrested on Nov. 16, 2025 during an ICE targeted enforcement operation in Newark, New Jersey. He was previously arrested in 1993 in Texas on suspicion of illegal entry, and re-entered the country at an unknown date without authorization, officials said. Yanez-Cruz was being held in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.

As of Monday, Yanez-Cruz was one of four detainees to die in ICE custody this year, according to the agency’s website. 

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