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Centro de procesamiento migratorio genérico en la frontera entre Texas y México al amanecer, sin personas
Imagen alusiva a un centro de procesamiento migratorio en la frontera entre Texas y México al amanecer. · Imagen generada EPM

Mexico demands probe into migrant death in ICE custody in Texas

Mexico demanded a prompt, exhaustive and transparent investigation into the death of Emiliano Andrade-Covarrubias, aged 56, in ICE custody in Laredo, Texas.

--- The context --- The death of a person in custody tests the responsibility of the state that detains them, because someone deprived of liberty depends on the authorities for basic care and health attention. Along the border, that duty also carries a consular and human rights dimension. --- The facts --- Mexico's government demanded that United States authorities carry out a prompt, exhaustive and transparent investigation into the death of a 56-year-old Mexican citizen in custody at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement center in Laredo, Texas. According to a local Texas newspaper, Emiliano Andrade-Covarrubias was found unconscious in his cell last Saturday during a routine security round at the Rio Grande Processing Center. The death was confirmed by United States congressman Henry Cuellar and marks the seventh death recorded so far this year of a person detained by that agency at facilities in the state of Texas. --- The positions --- The migrant's family denounced serious negligence by United States immigration authorities. His daughter, Estefani Andrade, said her father was denied access to the medication he was carrying at the time of his detention, which she explained he needed to treat his cardiac problems, hypertension and diabetes. The daughter also said the center's medical staff ignored his complaints of difficulty breathing and tightness in his chest, according to her account. Mexico's Secretariat of Foreign Affairs expressed deep concern over the recurrence of such events and raised to 18 the Mexican citizens who have died in custody or during immigration operations in the United States since January 20, 2025. Mexico's government warned that the situation requires an effective response from Washington to guarantee the life, integrity and human rights of migrants. --- What remains unknown --- The cause of death is not yet known, nor whether there was a prior medical assessment, nor what records exist about the complaints the family attributes to the center's staff. No official conclusions confirm or rule out the family's account. --- Unanswered questions --- What caused the death of Emiliano Andrade-Covarrubias inside his cell? Did he receive the medication that, according to his daughter, he was carrying when detained and needed for his cardiac problems, hypertension and diabetes? What attention did medical staff give to the complaints of difficulty breathing and chest tightness that the family says were ignored? --- EPM analysis --- The case brings together three levels. The investigation must establish the medical and custodial facts. The family's complaint raises a concrete question about medication and the response to respiratory and chest symptoms. And the figure of 18 Mexicans who have died since January 20, 2025 turns an individual case into a pattern Mexico asks to address. 📌 EPM Take: In EPM's view, a person in custody cannot be left unprotected in the face of a known illness or symptoms that call for urgent attention, and that is why the demanded investigation must be prompt, exhaustive and transparent on the facts, the medical records and the staff's decisions. The family's complaint does not replace proof, but it obliges authorities to answer it point by point. Guaranteeing consular access and adequate health care is not a diplomatic gesture, it is a minimum condition of dignity and institutional responsibility.
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