Orange County man Ismael Ayala-Uribe, held at IE facility, becomes 14th immigrant to die while in ICE custody
Ismael Ayala-Uribe spent five weeks at the Adelanto detention center before his health rapidly declined. The 39-year-old died Monday, according to a statement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
He was alone in a hospital and miles away from his family at the time of his death. His mother, Lucia Ayala, said she never got the chance to hold her son one last time.
"I have this weight on my chest. No matter how much I want to cry out loudly, I can't," she said in Spanish.
Ayala was a Mexican immigrant who came to the United States as a child. He received protection under DACA in 2012, but renewal was denied after two DUI arrests. In August, ICE agents detained him at the Huntington Beach car wash where he worked.
"They took him while he was working," his father, Eusebio Ayala, recalled. "He opened the door in the mornings because the boss hadn't arrived yet."
In custody, his mother said, his health began to fail which she noticed during her first visit.
"He already looked bad. His face had thinned, he was pale. He told me, 'Mom, I can't stand it anymore.' I told him to ask the guards for help, but he said they wouldn't listen," she said.
According to ICE, Ayala was examined by on-site medical staff on Sept. 18 after complaining of pain. He was given medication and returned to his cell.
But his family says two days later, his condition worsened. He was taken to Victor Valley Global Medical Center and scheduled for surgery on an abscess.
"They never told us he'd been taken to the hospital or even which hospital, until they told us he had died," his mother said.
Ayala died early Monday morning after falling unconscious in the hospital.
"I'm heartbroken," his mother said. "I feel like my hands were tied behind my back, like I could do nothing to save my son."
His family has now turned to prayer, gathering to recite the rosary in his memory. According to ICE records, Ayala is the 14th person to die this year while in the agency's custody.
"We await justice, because this was not justified," his father said.
In a statement, ICE said all detainees receive medical, dental and mental health screenings from the first day of custody, and that no one is denied emergency care. Ayala's death remains under investigation.
