Denver-area ICE detainee passes away at local hospital

DENVER — An Iranian man held in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) died Saturday afternoon at the University of Colorado Medical Center (UCMC) in Aurora, Colorado, with the preliminary cause of death being cardiac arrest. Kamyar Samimi, 64, entered ICE custody at the Aurora Contract Detention Facility (ACDF) on Nov. 17.

Samimi fell ill the morning of Dec 2 and ACDF personnel contacted emergency medical services (EMS). He became unresponsive after EMS arrived. EMS began CPR and transported him to UCMC. He was pronounced dead by UCMC medical staff at 12:02 p.m.

Samimi last entered the United States at New York, New York, on April 19, 1976, as a student. He adjusted to become a U.S. permanent resident on May 9, 1979. On Jan. 9, 1987, his application for U.S. citizenship was denied for failure to supply requested documents.

On June 9, 2005, the Arapahoe District Court in Centennial, Colorado, convicted Samimi for possessing cocaine; he was sentenced to two years of deferred sentence and 64 hours of community service. Based on his felony criminal conviction, which rendered him removable, ICE deportation officers in Denver arrested Samimi at his residence on Nov. 17. On the same date, he was served a notice to appear before a federal immigration judge with a pending a court date.

Consistent with the agency’s protocols, the appropriate state health and local law enforcement agencies have been notified about the death, as have the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General and ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility. Additionally, ICE will coordinate Samimi’s death notification to the Iranian Interest Section in the Pakistan Embassy located in Washington, DC, as well as to his next of kin. Samimi is the first detainee to pass away in ICE custody in fiscal year 2018, which began Oct. 1, 2017.

ICE’s Health Service Corps (IHSC) ensures the provision of necessary medical care services as required by ICE Performance-Based National Detention Standards and based on the medical needs of the detainee. Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment detainees arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay. All ICE detainees 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 daily sick call and 24-hour emergency care. Pursuant to our commitment to the welfare of those in the agency’s custody, ICE annually spends more than $180 million on the spectrum of healthcare services provided to detainees.