Dying in ICE custody: Inside one family’s story of heartbreak

'A major failure'A round-faced man with dark-rimmed glasses, a moustache and short-trimmed hair, Ismael came to the US when he was only five years old.Southern California became his home, and as an adult, he qualified for the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) programme, which offered temporary protection against deportation.He lost his DACA status, however, in 2015 after a conviction for driving under the influence.His family remembers him as a caring son and uncle, always willing to buy his niece and nephew new clothes or school supplies.“Ismael was always looking after his siblings. He just had a big heart,” said his brother, Jose Miguel Ayala. “He was very protective of not just us, but my mum and dad too.”He was 39 years old when he was brought to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center.Two weeks after his arrival, Ismael told his family that he developed a high fever and a painful sore on his backside.On September 18, 2025, workers at Adelanto initiated a Code Blue alert for Ismael, signalling a life-threatening medical emergency. Medical staff rushed him from his dorm to the infirmary in a wheelchair.ICE documents show that Ismael was given pain medication, an ointment and a fibre supplement.But according to Physicians for Human Rights' Cuneo, who reviewed the case, Ismael should have received a physical examination and antibiotics."That is a major failure," Cuneo said.Demonstrators leave white flowers outside the Adelanto ICE Processing Center on September 29 in solidarity with those detained inside [Jill Connelly/AP Photo]That weekend, hours after Lucia’s visit, Ismael’s condition worsened. Just after midnight on Sunday, ICE records say he was vomiting, shaking and sweating.According to ICE documents, he was later sent to an intensive care unit, where he went into cardiac arrest within minutes of his arrival and subsequently died.“I believe Ismael’s death could have fully been prevented by timely care,” Cuneo said. “It was a simple abscess that was not treated in a timely manner.”Fault Lines obtained a coroner's investigation that reveals Ismael was critically ill when he first arrived at the hospital, a fact that was left out of ICE's public report on his death.The coroner's report also contradicts ICE's timeline for Ismael's death. It indicates Ismael went into cardiac arrest early on September 21, nearly a full day before he passed away. Medical staff, however, managed to restore his heartbeat after intubating him.That conflicts with ICE's report, which only notes his pulse stopping once: shortly before his death was announced on the morning of September 22. ICE described his condition on September 21 as "calm and cooperative", but it signalled no heart problems.“If they had given him the medical care and what he needed, maybe he would be here with us,” Lucia said.In a statement about Ismael’s death, ICE said detainees receive “comprehensive medical care” throughout their time in custody.But California’s Attorney General Rob Bonta told Fault Lines that his office found “the exact opposite" during its inspections of the state's detention centres.“We've gone to these facilities. We've gone into Adelanto. We have done our own physical inspections," Bonta explained.“If what the ICE spokesperson said was true, Mr Ayala-Uribe would be with us today.”An internal mortality review committee also found that the care provided to Ismael at Adelanto "deviated beyond safe limits of practice", according to a document obtained by US media earlier this year.It also suggests that medical staff delayed responding to calls about Ismael's declining health in the days leading up to his death.