Guyanese National in ICE custody passes away at Miami-area hospital

MIAMI — Ramesh Amechand, a 60-year-old citizen of Guyana in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, was pronounced deceased by medical professionals at the Larkin Community Hospital Palm Springs campus in Hialeah, Florida, Dec. 16 at 4:50 p.m. An autopsy is pending to determine the official cause of death.

Amechand was admitted Nov. 19 as an inpatient after having an abnormal electrocardiogram. The medical staff reported that Amechand went to ventricular tachycardia arrest, was resuscitated and intubated Nov. 25.

Amechand legally entered the U.S. Aug. 18, 1980, at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, as a non-immigrant entertainer or athlete, but failed to depart according to the terms of his admission.

The Criminal Court for Bronx County, New York, convicted Amechand for misdemeanor possession of a weapon June 1, 1994, and sentenced him to three years of supervised probation., The Bronx County court convicted Amechand for the crime of misdemeanor driving under the influence May 21, 2008, and sentenced him to time served.

The 9th Judicial Circuit Court in Orange County, Florida. convicted Amechand Feb. 17, 2021, for two counts of attempted lewd or lascivious molestation of a minor and sentenced him to 10 years of supervised probation and permanent registration as a sex offender.

Enforcement and Removal Operations Miami arrested Amechand without incident Oct. 26, 2022, at the Florida department of Corrections’ Office of Probation and Parole in Orlando, Florida, as the target of a pre-planned enforcement operation. ERO Miami detained Amechand at the Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami.

An immigration judge ordered Amechand removed from the United States on Oct. 15, 2024.

Consistent with ICE protocols, the appropriate components were notified about the death, including the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, and the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility. Additionally, ERO Dallas notified the next of kin as well as the Consulate General of India in Houston.

Upon an official report of a detained noncitizen death, ERO makes official notifications to Congress, nongovernmental organization stakeholders, and the media and posts a news release with relevant details on the 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 (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, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. At no time during detention is a detained noncitizen denied emergent care.

ERO is one of ICE’s three operational directorates and is the principal federal law enforcement authority in charge of domestic immigration enforcement. ERO’s mission is to protect the homeland through the arrest and removal of those who undermine the safety of U.S. communities and the integrity of U.S. immigration laws, and its primary areas of focus are interior enforcement operations, management of the agency’s detained and non-detained populations, and repatriation of noncitizens who have received final orders of removal. ERO’s workforce consists of more than 7,700 law enforcement and non-law enforcement support personnel across 25 domestic field offices and 208 locations nationwide, 30 overseas postings, and multiple temporary duty travel assignments along the border.