ICE Death Reviews for Carlos Mejia-Bonilla

Carlos Mejia-Bonilla was in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody from April 1, 2017, to June 10, 2017, when he died of complications from cirrhosis. During the approximately 10 weeks he was detained at the Hudson County jail in Kearny, New Jersey, he was treated only for diabetes even though he repeatedly requested treatment for other chronic conditions he suffered from, including cirrhosis and anemia. A mortality review conducted by the ICE Health Service Corps, obtained by POGO through the Freedom of Information Act, found that the detention center’s care was delivered “outside the safe limits of practice” and may have contributed to his death.

POGO additionally obtained ICE’s detainee death review, conducted by the agency’s External Reviews and Analysis Unit, and a review of the detention center’s compliance with ICE’s medical and security standards, produced by contractor Creative Corrections as part of the detainee death review. The documents also include Bonilla’s death certificate and a number of medical records from his time at Hudson County.