ICE detainee passes away at the Eloy Detention Facility

ELOY – A Vietnamese national, who was in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) died Tuesday morning at the Banner Casa Grande Medical Center in Casa Grande, Arizona. An autopsy is pending to determine the official cause of death.

Huy Chi Tran, 47, was admitted into the United States as a legal permanent resident on June 25, 1984. He was ordered removed to Vietnam by an Immigration Judge on September 21, 2004, based on a criminal conviction stemming from charges related to aggravated assault.

Mr. Tran’s most recent transfer into ICE custody was May 25, 2018, in Tucson, Arizona, upon his release from incarceration with the Arizona Department of Corrections. He was transferred to the Eloy Detention Center (EDC) on May 28, 2018, pending removal to Vietnam.

On June 5, 2018, Mr. Tran was found unresponsive in his residential unit later that afternoon. Local paramedics were called to the EDC, and Mr. Tran was transported to the Banner Casa Grande Medical Center for emergency treatment.

On June 12, 2018, hospital staff at Banner Casa Grande Medical Center notified ICE that Mr. Tran was declared deceased at 9:20 a.m.

Consistent with the agency’s protocols, the appropriate state health and local law enforcement agencies have been advised about the death, as have the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General and the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility. Additionally, ICE notified the local Vietnam Consulate of Mr. Tran’s death.

Mr. Tran is the seventh 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.