Haitian Asylum Seeker Dies in ICE Custody After Severe Tooth Infection

Family says his complaints about worsening toothache went untreated until it was too late.

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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A 56-year-old Haitian asylum seeker named Emmanuel Damas died at a hospital after being held at an Arizona ICE detention center, where his family says he reported a severe tooth infection that went untreated for weeks until it became life-threatening.

Why it matters

Damas' death adds to a growing number of fatalities in federal immigration detention facilities, raising concerns about the quality of medical care provided to detainees and the treatment of asylum seekers in custody.

The details

According to his brother Presly Nelson, Damas alerted medical staff at the Florence Correctional Center about his worsening toothache in mid-February, but was never sent to a dentist for treatment. The untreated infection eventually became serious enough that Damas required hospitalization, where he later died. Nelson believes staff at the facility failed to take his brother's complaints seriously, even though the issue was medically treatable.

  • Damas was taken into ICE custody in September.
  • Damas reported the severe toothache to medical staff in mid-February.
  • Damas died at the hospital on Monday.

The players

Emmanuel Damas

A 56-year-old Haitian asylum seeker who died after being held at an Arizona ICE detention center.

Presly Nelson

Damas' brother, who said his brother's complaints about a severe toothache went untreated until it became life-threatening.

Christine Ellis

A Chandler City Council member and registered nurse who said the situation raised serious concerns about medical care inside detention facilities.

CoreCivic

The private corrections company that operates the Florence Correctional Center where Damas was held.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

The federal agency that had Damas in custody at the time of his death.

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What they’re saying

“As a country — I'm an American now — I think we can do better than that.”

— Presly Nelson, Damas' brother (ABC News)

“As a medical person, I am absolutely appalled that there were medical-licensed people that were working there and allowed those things to happen. It does not make sense to me.”

— Christine Ellis, Chandler City Council member and registered nurse (ABC News)

What’s next

Records from the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office listed Damas' official cause of death as pending.

The takeaway

Damas' death highlights ongoing concerns about the treatment of asylum seekers and the quality of medical care provided in immigration detention facilities, which have seen a number of fatalities in recent years.