ICE detainee passes away at a West Texas hospital

DALLAS — A woman from the United Kingdom in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) passed away late Monday night at Haskell Hospital in West Texas; a preliminary cause of death has not yet been determined.

Olubunmi Toyin Joshua, 54, had been detained at the Rolling Plains Detention Center in Haskell, Texas.

After being found unresponsive in her dorm on the night of Oct. 24, Joshua was immediately transported to Haskell Hospital’s emergency room.  Despite continuing efforts to stabilize her, Joshua remained unresponsive. 

At 11:18 p.m. CDT on Oct. 24, Haskell Hospital staff declared Joshua deceased. Determination of her cause of death is pending an autopsy.

Joshua originally entered the United States at New York City in 1984 on a student visa.  In June 1984, she was convicted in U.S. District Court, Western District of Oklahoma, of passing counterfeit notes and was sentenced to one year probation.

In July 1997, a federal immigration judge granted Joshua voluntary departure until Nov. 17, 1997.  This voluntary departure order became a final order of removal when she did not leave the United States by that date.  More than a year later, she flew to Canada and later illegally re-entered the United States.

Joshua was convicted in September 2013 in Tarrant County, Texas, of failure to identify and giving false/fictitious information. 

ICE placed a detainer on Joshua with the Denton County Jail in Denton, Texas, on Nov. 19, 2015, following her arrest Oct. 21, 2015, for “failure to identify fugitive,” giving false/fictitious information and driving without a valid driver’s license.  On Jan. 25, 2016, Joshua pleaded guilty to driving without a driver’s license; she entered ICE custody Jan. 27.

ICE has notified the Consulate of the United Kingdom in Houston, Texas, of Joshua’s death. Consistent with ICE protocols, the appropriate state health and local law enforcement agencies have also been informed.

Joshua is the first detainee to pass away in ICE custody in fiscal year 2017.