Haitian Detainee Dies After Reported Untreated Tooth Infection in Arizona

Haitian detainee dies in Arizona after reported dental complaint

A Haitian man held at an immigration detention center in Florence, Arizona, died at a hospital on Monday after reporting a toothache weeks earlier, according to information provided by his brother and public officials. The man, identified as 56-year-old Emmanuel Damas, had been confined for months at the Florence Correctional Center before his death.

Damas’ brother, Presly Nelson, said on Wednesday that Damas told medical personnel at the Florence Correctional Center in mid-February that he had a toothache. Nelson stated that Damas was not sent to a dentist after reporting this problem. Nelson also said that the tooth infection was left untreated and that this occurred while Damas was confined at the Arizona immigration facility.

Custody details and official responses

According to statements cited by Chandler City Council member Christine Ellis, Damas was taken into the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in September. He was then transferred to the medium-security Florence Correctional Center, where he remained for several months. Ellis said his detention continued even after his asylum application was denied.

Damas’ death occurred in a hospital on Monday, though the specific hospital was not identified in the available information. As of Wednesday, a report from the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office listed his cause of death as “pending.” No final medical determination on the cause of death had been released at that time.

Damas is among at least nine people who have died in ICE custody this year. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment regarding his death. ICE indicated it hoped to issue a news release on Wednesday, but no detailed statement was included in the information available.

Related ICE custody death announced in California

Earlier on Wednesday, ICE officials announced the death of another detainee, identified as Mexican national Alberto Gutierrez-Reyes. Officials stated that Gutierrez-Reyes had been held at an ICE detention center in California and died in a hospital on February 27 after reporting chest pain and shortness of breath. ICE confirmed that he was in custody at a California facility before being taken to the hospital, where he later died.

Facility management and medical oversight questions

The Florence Correctional Center, where Damas was held, is operated by CoreCivic, a for-profit corrections company. CoreCivic deferred comment on the case to ICE and did not provide additional information about the circumstances at the facility.

Chandler City Council member Christine Ellis, a Haitian American and registered nurse, said she was contacted by Damas’ family after his death. Ellis described herself as a medical professional and referenced the involvement of medically licensed personnel working at the Florence facility. She linked her concerns directly to the circumstances that were reported to her by the family following Damas’ death.

As of Wednesday, no completed official cause-of-death determination had been published by the Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office for Damas, and federal agencies had not provided a detailed public account of the medical care he received while in detention in Arizona.