Haitian man living in Boston dies in ICE custody, heightening concerns about detention centers

A man who was arrested by ICE in Boston and transported to a detention center in Arizona died in custody after not receiving adequate treatment for a toothache, according to multiple reports and a letter sent by lawmakers to officials within the Trump administration. 

Emmanuel Damas, a 56-year-old Haitian man who came to the U.S. legally seeking asylum in 2024, died earlier this week, according to an Instagram post from a local official in Arizona. Family members told the official, Chandler City Councilwoman Christine Ellis, that Damas first experienced a toothache in mid-February before his condition worsened. 

“His reported struggle to receive timely medical attention before being transferred to a hospital raises serious and painful concerns about the quality of care provided to individuals in custody,” Ellis wrote. 

Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, alongside Rep. Ayanna Pressley, registered their alarm in a letter that was sent to since-fired Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons on Thursday. They reference reporting from the Arizona Daily Star. 

Damas, who was being held in Central Arizona Florence Correctional Center, visited the facility’s health clinic on Feb. 17 and 18 to get treatment for a painful toothache. Health care workers at the clinic provided him with over-the-counter medications like acetaminophen and ibuprofen but denied him dental treatment, according to the letter. 

On Feb. 19, Damas told family that his condition had worsened, that he could not speak properly, and that he was going to be taken to a hospital. The same day, another detainee at the detention center told Damas’s family that he had been “very sick” for five days and that the staff members at the facility “lacked urgency” in sending him to the hospital, the lawmakers wrote. 

Damas’s family learned on Feb. 20 that he was suffering from pneumonia and had been placed on life support in an Arizona hospital. The hospital and ICE officials rebuffed efforts made by Damas’s family and Markey to get information on his condition over the next few days. Damas’s brother, Presly Nelson, was told on Feb. 23 that Damas “had been moved back to detention,” according to the letter. A few days after that, Damas’s family was told that he was hospitalized again and set to undergo surgery on Feb. 26. 

Damas died on March 2, after his family chose to take him off life support. 

“It’s like treating a human being like they’re nobody,” Nelson told The Boston Globe. “As an American, I’m very ashamed, I’m very disheartened.”

Nelson described to the Globe how he rushed from Boston to Arizona after getting a call that his brother may be on the verge of death. While on life support, Damas was still handcuffed to the hospital bed. There was a chain on his body and two security officers stationed by his room, Nelson told the paper. 

Damas’s family alleges that ICE did not provide him with timely medical care. The untreated tooth infection eventually led to sepsis, according to the Globe. Sepsis occurs when the human body’s immune system overreacts to an untreated infection. 

“ICE shared few to no reports about Mr. Damas’s deteriorating health status with his family, keeping them in the dark until it was far too late. This case raises serious questions regarding ICE’s ability to timely treat and care for individuals it detains,” the lawmakers wrote. 

Spokespeople for ICE and the Department of Homeland Security did not return a request for comment Friday. When contacted by the Globe, DHS said that it would share information about Damas’s death “as soon as possible.”

Damas was a mechanic in Haiti who fled gang violence in his country with his two sons, the youngest of which is 13. Nelson, an American citizen who has lived in the U.S. for almost 30 years, sponsored Damas to come to the U.S. in February 2024, per the Globe. They lived in Dorchester. 

“That was the compassionate country that I’ve come to appreciate and respect,” Nelson told the paper. “This country is great because of its diversity, and without it, I think we become weaker and weaker.”

Damas was arrested last September and charged with misdemeanor assault and battery, according to court records. 

This occurred after Damas gave his son a slap on the back of the head after a misunderstanding, his family told the Globe. Damas’s family posted bail, and he was quickly released. However, ICE agents took him into custody shortly after. 

Damas’s death comes amid growing concerns about the conditions with ICE detainment centers around the country. Medical neglect like that alleged in the case of Damas is reportedly rampant in the nation’s largest ICE detention center in Texas. In their letter, lawmakers cite similar allegations made against ICE officials overseeing a California detention center and another processing facility. They reference reports about how ICE is no longer paying third-party providers for medical treatment. 

“This rogue agency is killing our neighbors—behind the walls of detention centers & in broad daylight,” Pressley said of ICE in a statement on social media. “ICE cannot be reformed, it must be abolished. And there must be accountability for the killing of Emmanuel—it’s what his loved ones & community deserve.”

The Florence detention center is run by CoreCivic, a large for-profit prison operator with ICE contacts around the country. Whistleblowers and advocates have raised concerns about medical neglect and other instances of inhumane treatment at multiple CoreCivic facilities, including the one in Florence. 

“Mr. Damas’s death is a tragedy and likely, a highly preventable one. His passing has shaken a family and community that have shown remarkable strength in the face of unimaginable loss,” the lawmakers wrote. 

Gov. Maura Healey sent a letter of her own to Noem and Lyons Friday, demanding information about people ICE has arrested in Massachusetts since the beginning of 2025. She describes how significant proportions of people detained by ICE have no criminal background, despite claims that agents are targeting “the worst of the worst.”

“Many of those taken into custody are long standing members of our communities—parents, caregivers, and workers whose sudden detention leaves their families in crisis. This has had far-reaching consequences for their children, families, our communities, and the state of Massachusetts,” Healey wrote. 

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