José Guadalupe Ramos, a Mexican national, dies in ICE detention in LA | ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement)
A Mexican immigrant died at a detention center outside Los Angeles, marking at least the 14th death in ICE custody since the beginning of the year.
Security personnel at the Adelanto detention center found José Guadalupe Ramos unconscious and unresponsive in his bunk bed on March 25. According to an ICE press release. Staff attempted to perform life-saving procedures, including CPR, then emergency services were called and Ramos was taken to Victory Valley Global medical center in nearby Victorville. He was pronounced dead there at 21.29.
During a medical screening on February 24, ICE found that Ramos suffered from diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. He was taking “daily medication to treat his illness,” according to ICE.
It was unclear whether he was taking medication for a single illness or for all three. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The number of immigrants in ICE custody has reached record levels since Donald Trump launched his sweeping mass deportation campaign last year, and human rights groups and legal advocates have expressed concerns about the safety of detainees.
Last year, nearly 32 immigrants died while locked in immigration detention centers; this was the deadliest year in custody since 2004. So far, the number of prisoner deaths is on pace to exceed last year.
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum said at a press conference on Monday that Mexico Mexico would protest the deaths of its citizens.
“We will take various actions to protest the death of another Mexican, another citizen, in the United States,” Sheinbaum said. “Especially at the detention center in Los Angeles,” he added, referring to Adelanto, noting that many Mexican immigrants have died there since Trump took office.
Diplomatic officials planned to convey their objections and human rights concerns to the Trump administration and members of the US Congress, according to news outlet Milenio.
So was Ramos fourth Mexican citizen I’ve been dying in Adelanto since last year.
The Adelanto detention facility is operated by GEO Group as a for-profit organization. ICE’s largest private contractor. A coalition of immigrant rights and legal advocacy groups filed a federal lawsuit against GEO Group alleged earlier this year that the Adelanto facility subjected detainees to inhumane treatment, including medical neglect.
GEO Group said support services are monitored by ICE and include 24-hour medical care.
“Where GEO provides healthcare, individuals are provided access to teams of medical professionals including doctors, nurses, dentists, psychologists and psychiatrists,” a GEO spokesperson wrote in an email. “There is also ready access to off-site medical professionals, imaging facilities, Emergency Medical Services and local community hospitals when needed.”
California attorney general Rob Bonta echoed those concerns earlier this month, saying a state review of conditions at Adelanto pointed to serious problems.
“The inhumane and punitive conditions of confinement at the Adelanto Detention Center require the immediate attention and immediate action of the Trump Administration.” Bonta said in a statement earlier this month:After giving a briefing on the case against Adelanto. “During our investigations at Adelanto, my team witnessed shockingly inadequate medical care, failure to house people with disabilities, disturbingly unsafe and unsanitary conditions, and lack of basic needs. These despicable conditions have worsened as a result of the Trump Administration’s mass deportation campaign.”
The California review found “a facility overwhelmed by rapid population growth, understaffing, failure to meet urgent medical needs, failures to care for individuals with chronic conditions and provision of specialty care referrals, and use-of-force concerns.” According to the court file. Previous case reviews of the facility found that it maintained incomplete health records, compromised patient confidentiality, and provided inadequate care for chronic diseases.
The number of people in immigration detention was more than 68,000 as of February 2026.
