Indian national in ICE custody passes away at Dallas-area hospital

DALLAS — A 60-year-old citizen of India in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement passed away Nov. 1. An autopsy is pending to determine the official cause of death.

Medical professionals at the Texas Health Hurst Euless Bedford Hospital in Bedford pronounced Pankaj Karan Singh Kataria deceased at 8:15 p.m. on Nov. 1. Kataria was transferred to the hospital Oct. 18 after he became unresponsive during transport to the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado from the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

Kataria was admitted into the United States July 18, 1997, as a non-immigrant at the Chicago International Airport in Chicago, Illinois. Immigration officers from the former Immigration and Naturalization Service arrested Kataria April 6, 1998, in Santa Clara, California, after he failed to depart under the terms of his admission.

An immigration judge ordered Kataria removed from the United States on June 14, 2023.

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, Enforcement and Removal Operations Dallas notified the next of kin as well as the Consulate General of India in Houston.

ICE remains committed to ensuring 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.

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 2018 DHS Appropriations Bill 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.

As one of ICE’s three operational directorates, ERO 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.