Emmanuel Damas, a father of two, fled Haiti and entered the United States under Biden-era humanitarian protections in 2024, which expired two years later, according to Chandler City Councilwoman Christine Ellis. She said he was arrested in Boston in September 2025 and transferred to an ICE detention center in Arizona. Arizona officials report that Damas died in federal custody while hospitalized for an infected tooth.
According to his brother Presly Nelson, Damas began complaining about a toothache on February 12 but was only given ibuprofen. After complaining for two weeks, he collapsed and was transferred to a Scottsdale hospital last week. By the time his family arrived from Boston to visit him, he was intubated, and he died Monday, according to his family.
The specific medical diagnosis or cause of death has not been determined. Christine Ellis said she learned the details of his death from his family members, who provided her with photographs of Damas appearing unconscious and intubated while in an intensive care unit, and she shared the images on Instagram. ' She added that she is 'deeply heartbroken' by news of his death.
Democratic Rep. Yassamin Ansari wrote, 'No one should die under such horrific conditions,' and added, 'After four oversight visits to ICE facilities in Arizona, I've witnessed inhumane treatment and medical neglect firsthand. ' Homeland Security has not provided a response or comment regarding Damas's death and the allegations of medical neglect.
Damas is expected to be the 10th person to die in ICE custody so far this year; ICE has acknowledged eight deaths, and local officials in Arizona and California have reported two additional in-custody deaths in their states. At least 35 people have died in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody since Donald Trump returned to the White House and accelerated efforts to quickly arrest, detain and deport tens of thousands of people.