ICE detainee passes away in Louisiana hospital

NEW ORLEANS – A Jamaican national in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) died Monday at Lafayette General Hospital in Lafayette, Louisiana. The cause of death is believed to be cardiac arrest.

Roger Rayson, 47, was transferred from the LaSalle Detention Facility to LaSalle General Hospital Feb. 11, for nausea, vomiting and increased pain. Rayson was admitted for dehydration and further evaluation. LaSalle General Hospital diagnosed Rayson with Burkitt Lymphoma (non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma). On March 4, LaSalle General Hospital transferred Rayson to Lafayette General Hospital. Layfayette General Hospital medical staff declared Rayson deceased March 13 at 3:20 p.m. Central time.

Consistent with agency protocols, the appropriate state health and local law enforcement agencies have been advised of the death, as have the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General and the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility. ICE has also informed Jamaican consular officials and the deceased’s next of kin.

Rayson was arrested Nov. 24, 2014, by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Miami, for possession of cocaine. On April 24, 2015, Rayson was convicted of importation of cocaine and sentenced to 30 months incarceration by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. The Federal Bureau of Prisons released Rayson to the custody of New Orleans ICE on Jan. 28, 2017.

Rayson is the fourth detainee to pass away in ICE custody in fiscal year 2017.