Disability Rights California is furious and saddened at the death of former Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) recipient Ismael Ayala-Uribe, 39, at the Adelanto Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Processing Center on Sunday in San Bernardino County, California. Ayala-Uribe is the 14th person to die in immigrant detention this year and the first at the Adelanto facility, which has recently been subject to dangerous overcrowding and is run by the private, for-profit GEO Group.  

Mr. Ayala-Uribe’s tragic death underscores the urgent need for major reforms at Adelanto, needs raised in DRC's recent report “They Treat Us Like Dogs in Cages: Inside the Adelanto ICE Processing Center.” Following a monitoring visit to Adelanto in June, the report described disturbing conditions, including a lack of access to appropriate medical and mental health care, and processes that properly address disability-related needs. 

"We are very sad to hear of the recent passing of Ismael Ayala-Uribe, a person who was detained at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. As our recent report stated, we believe the current system of immigration detention is dangerous and inadequate for all people, especially for those with disabilities,” said Richard Diaz, a senior attorney in DRC’s Investigations Unit. “Alternatives to immigration detention where people have access to appropriate medical care in their communities will cost much less and save people's lives.” 

The Inland Coalition for Immigrant Justice (IC4IJ) is calling for a full, independent, and transparent report on the circumstances leading to Mr. Ayala-Uribe’s death.  

“We reject ICE’s continued attempts to dehumanize immigrants by treating them as disposable, pointing to past DUI convictions as if they negate a person's right to live,” IC4IJ said in a statement. “The US Constitution offers protections and due process to all people within our borders, citizens and non-citizens alike, and those protections do not disappear in detention.”   

Media Contact

Sam Mickens
Director of Communications
(646) 945-0918
Sam.Mickens@disabilityrightsca.org

Disability Rights California (DRC) – Is the agency designated under federal law to protect and advocate for the rights of Californians with disabilities. The mission of DRC is to defend, advance, and strengthen the rights and opportunities of people with disabilities. For more information visit: https://www.disabilityrightsca.org.