The death of a Mexican migrant who spent several weeks in the custody of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Service (ICE) in Georgia unleashed new criticism from immigrant rights organizations, which accuse the agency of having delayed the medical care required by the young man, who suffered from leukemia.

Priciliano Trejo, 29 years old and known to his family as “Yanito,” died on July 24 in a Georgia hospital, days after being transferred from the Stewart Detention Center, one of the largest facilities for immigrants in the United States.

According to his family and organizations such as Detention Watch Network, Project South, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights and El Refugio, Trejo was detained by ICE agents in North Carolina and later sent to the detention center in Georgia.

Family members stated that on July 6 he began to feel ill and requested medical attention due to the progression of the illness he was suffering from. However, they reported that he did not receive assistance for eight days and that he was taken to the hospital until July 13. Two days later, the Mexican fell into a coma.

The organizations indicated that it was then that ICE notified the family to transfer custody of the young man to them. Trejo died nine days later, now out of the direct custody of the immigration agency.

Organizations demand answers and the closure of the center

Advocacy groups maintain that, since he was released to his relatives before his death, there is a possibility that the case will not be officially counted as a death that occurred in ICE custody. "He deserved to be with his loved ones as he battled leukemia. He deserved to receive proper, specialized medical care, not to be locked up in an overcrowded and deadly ICE prison plagued by human rights violations and medical neglect," said Project South attorney Priyanka Bhatt.

For her part, Setareh Ghandehari, of Detention Watch Network, expressed that the organization is “deeply” saddened and outraged by the death.

Amílcar Valencia, executive director of El Refugio, said that Trejo's death joins a “long list” of people who died at the Stewart Detention Center, where, according to the organization, 15 deaths have already been recorded. He added that the young man's father demands an explanation for the rapid deterioration of his health and calls for an investigation.

Adelina Nicholls, executive director of the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, reiterated the call to close that detention center, stating that it has faced complaints for years about alleged inhumane conditions and deficiencies in medical care.

As of press time, ICE had not responded to requests for comment on the case. According to Human Rights Watch, at least 52 immigrants died in ICE custody between January 20 and June 4, 2025.

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