ICE detainee passes away at Larkin Community Hospital

MIAMI – A Cuban national in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) died Friday at Larkin Community Hospital one week after he was found unresponsive in his hospital shower. The official cause of death has not yet been determined.

Osvadis Montesino-Cabrera, 37, was admitted to Larkin Community Hospital Aug. 22 after ICE Health Service Corps medical personnel at the Krome Detention Center diagnosed him with urinary retention and transferred him to the hospital where Larkin medical staff admitted him for further evaluation and treatment.

On Aug. 25, Mr. Montesino-Cabrera entered the shower area in his hospital room outside the view of ICE personnel guarding him. When staff did not hear water begin running after several minutes ICE personnel entered the shower area and discovered a self-inflicted strangulation attempt.

ICE personnel immediately alerted hospital medical staff, who successfully resuscitated Mr. Montesino-Cabrera and transferred him to the intensive care unit where he was placed on life support. Despite round-the-clock care, Mr. Montesino-Cabrera never regained consciousness and he subsequently died Friday at 4:45 p.m.

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 the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility. Additionally, ICE has advised Cuban Embassy representatives.

ICE is firmly committed to the health and welfare of all those in its custody and is undertaking a comprehensive review of this incident, as it does in all such cases. Fatalities in ICE custody, statistically, are exceedingly rare and occur at a fraction of the rate of the U.S. detained population as a whole. This agency’s comprehensive review will be conducted by ICE senior leadership to include Enforcement and Removal Operations, the Office of Professional Responsibility and the Office of the Principal Legal Advisor.

Mr. Montesino-Cabrera had been in ICE custody since June 17, following his arrest and transfer from U.S. Customs and Border Protection in San Antonio, Texas. A federal immigration judge issued Mr. Montesino-Cabrera a final order of removal Aug. 17 and he was awaiting removal to Cuba in accordance with the judge’s order.

Mr. Montesino-Cabrera is the 11th detainee to pass away in ICE custody in fiscal year 2017.