Two men who were in federal immigration custody died on the same day in different detention centers in Florida and Indiana, according to statements made by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement later last week. Both people were not responsive. Federal officials stated they are still looking into what caused the deaths.
The first death happened in Florida on Monday morning last week. At 2:01 a.m., Jairo Garcia-Hernandez, a 27-year-old Guatemalan citizen, died in Florida. ICE said that Garcia-Hernandez had passed out and was unresponsive before being taken to the hospital.
The FDA said in a statement on Friday that he had a long history of major medical problems and was not able to fight off infections. Earlier this year, he went to the hospital because he had a fever.
Federal officials also talked about Garcia-Hernandez’s past legal issues. He was arrested in New York in 2023 for having guns and pretending to be a police officer, among other things. In 2024, he was found guilty of two weapons-related crimes and given a sentence of time served. In January 2025, police saw him again and told federal immigration officials, who then took him into ICE custody.
A second detainee was found lifeless in an Indiana facility just hours after Garcia-Hernandez died in Florida. Staff at the Miami Correctional Facility found Lorth Sim, a 59-year-old Cambodian national, in his cell.
ICE released a statement on Wednesday saying that Sim was dead at 7:10 a.m., even though staff at the facility and emergency responders tried to bring him back to life. Officials stated they are also looking into what caused his death.
Sim has been in the United States for decades. He came to the US as a refugee in 1983 and became a legal permanent resident three years later. ICE said that he has been arrested before for things like disorderly behavior, indecent exposure, and theft.
In 2006, an immigration judge ordered him to leave the country. Authorities reported that he was arrested again in December 2025 and then moved to ICE custody in January 2026.
ICE said that in both cases, it followed the right steps after the deaths. The agency stated that oversight offices had been informed, and in Sim’s case, the Cambodian consulate was also given notice. ICE also said again that people in its custody get medical examinations within 12 hours of arriving and can get emergency medical care at any time. The agency said it remains committed to providing safe, secure, and humane conditions within its detention facilities.
This year, there have been more and more deaths in immigration detention, and these two tragedies are only the latest. Between January 3 and January 9, four detainees died, according to government records. At least 30 people died while in ICE custody last year, the most in a single year in two decades.
As investigations continue into both deaths, federal officials have not released further details about the specific medical findings.
