56-year-old asylum seeker dies after untreated tooth infection inside US ICE detention center
In September, Emmanuel Damas, a 56-year-old Haitian man, was taken into ICE custody and transferred to Florence Correctional Center, Arizona, a for-profit facility run by CoreCivic, where he was detained for months while seeking asylum.
In mid-February, Damas reported a toothache to medical staff at Florence Correctional Center. He was never sent to a dentist, and his brother Presly Nelson later said staff ignored a condition that was completely treatable.
During months of detention, Damas’ asylum request was denied, but he remained held at the CoreCivic-run Florence facility. Meanwhile, his untreated tooth infection kept getting worse with no dental care provided.
On Monday, Emmanuel Damas died at an Arizona hospital after a tooth infection left untreated for weeks became fatal. He was 56, and is among at least 9 deaths in ICE custody this year.
On Wednesday, brother Presly Nelson said staff ignored Damas’ treatable condition. Nelson, now an American citizen, said the United States should do better, expressing shock that such a death happened here.
Chandler council member Christine Ellis, a registered nurse, said she was “absolutely appalled” medical professionals allowed this. The Maricopa County Medical Examiner listed the cause of death pending, while ICE and CoreCivic gave no immediate comment.
