Arizona Councilwoman Slams ICE After Haitian Detainee Dies in Custody: 'Nobody Should Die From a Toothache'

A Haitian asylum seeker held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody for several months died after complications from an infected tooth, prompting calls for an investigation from Arizona officials and renewed scrutiny of medical care in immigration detention facilities.

Emmanuel Damas, 56, died Monday at a Scottsdale hospital after collapsing from a severe infection while detained at the Florence Correctional Center in Arizona, according to Chandler City Councilwoman Christine Ellis. Ellis, a registered nurse and Haitian-American, said Damas had complained for weeks about worsening tooth pain but did not receive timely treatment.

"Nobody should die from a toothache," Ellis told the Arizona Daily Star. "Something has to be done."

Ellis said Damas first reported tooth pain to detention staff on Feb. 12 and was given ibuprofen. "He was complaining for almost two weeks straight, until he collapsed and got septic from the infection," she said. He was transferred to a hospital in Scottsdale last week, where he later died.

According to Ellis, Damas' family members shared images showing him unconscious and intubated in an intensive care unit. She also said relatives reported that another detainee heard staff "laughing and saying he was faking" while Damas asked for help.

ICE had not publicly confirmed the death as of Wednesday. "Once we have something to share, we will provide," ICE spokeswoman Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe said in an email responding to inquiries.

Damas had a pending asylum claim and had entered the United States through a humanitarian parole program for Haitian migrants, Ellis said. He was taken into ICE custody in Boston in September 2025 and transferred multiple times between detention centers in Boston, New York and Texas before arriving at the Florence facility about four months ago.

Ellis criticized the repeated transfers detainees experience across the detention system. "They really have to get to the point where they treat people with dignity," she said.

Advocates and lawmakers have long raised concerns about medical care inside ICE detention facilities. A January report from the Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project described cases of prolonged wait times for dental treatment and the denial of referrals for procedures such as root canals.

U.S. Rep. Yassamin Ansari, a Democrat from Arizona, said she had observed conditions in several facilities during oversight visits. "I am outraged and devastated for the family who lost their loved one at the hands of ICE," Ansari said in a statement. "I have seen the inhumane conditions and medical neglect firsthand."

The death comes amid a broader rise in fatalities in immigration detention. At least 30 people died in ICE custody last year, according to multiple reports, and several additional deaths have already been reported this year across facilities in states including Florida, Indiana and Texas.

Government officials have said detainees receive medical and dental screenings upon arrival and access to emergency care while in custody. However, advocates say rapid expansion of detention capacity and rising detainee populations have strained medical systems inside facilities and increased oversight concerns.