Untreated Tooth Infection Killed Haitian Asylum Seeker in ICE Custody, ME Rules

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Posted: May 20, 2026

Untreated Tooth Infection Killed Haitian Asylum Seeker in ICE Custody, ME Rules

Edited by Dentaltown staff

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner’s Office has ruled that a 56-year-old Haitian asylum seeker who died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in March died from complications of a severe dental infection that spread to his neck and chest, drawing congressional scrutiny to medical and dental care standards at private immigration detention facilities.

Emmanuel Cleeford Damas died March 2 at HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center after being airlifted from the CoreCivic-operated Central Arizona Florence Correctional Center in Florence, Arizona. The medical examiner’s preliminary report, released in mid-May, attributed his death to “complications of necrotizing mediastinitis with neck and retropharyngeal abscess in the setting of severe dental caries and periodontal disease.” Necrotizing mediastinitis is a rare and life-threatening infection of the chest cavity that can develop when an oral or pharyngeal infection spreads downward.

According to the medical examiner’s review of CoreCivic records, Damas received an initial dental examination on Oct. 8, 2025, during which staff identified multiple missing or loose teeth and recommended extraction of one tooth, placing him on a wait list. A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson told CNN that on Jan. 8 Damas refused dental extraction and stated his tooth no longer hurt, and that on Feb. 12 he declined a recommendation to extract two additional teeth. ICE’s Detainee Death Report stated that Damas received regular medical and dental evaluations during his detention.

The account from Damas’s family and attorneys differs. His brother, Presly Nelson, told ABC15 and CNN that Damas had been complaining about tooth pain for approximately two weeks before being hospitalized and that staff provided only over-the-counter pain medication. Raymond Audain, an attorney representing the family, stated in a release that Damas “begged prison staff for medical care on numerous occasions including the night before he was hospitalized.” The family commissioned a private autopsy, the results of which have not been publicly released.

Damas was transported to a local hospital on Feb. 19 with throat and stomach pain, agitation, and low oxygen saturation, and was diagnosed with acute respiratory failure due to septic shock. He was later transferred to additional hospitals, placed on a ventilator, and died March 2.

Damas, a father of two from Dorchester, Massachusetts, entered the United States in February 2024 through a Biden-era humanitarian parole program. He had been arrested by Boston police on assault and battery charges on Sept. 14, 2025, and was transferred to ICE custody the following day, moving through facilities in Boston, New York, Texas, and finally Arizona, where he had been held since September 2025.

The death has prompted congressional response. Rep. Yassamin Ansari, D-Arizona, conducted oversight visits to the Florence facility and delivered a floor speech in March calling for an independent investigation. Sen. Edward Markey, D-Massachusetts, sent a letter to administration officials seeking accountability. Damas is among at least 51 detainees who have died in ICE custody since January 2025, according to the Associated Press, with medical examiners ruling the majority of those deaths from natural causes.

CoreCivic, the private prison company that operates the Florence facility, said in a statement that it could not share specific information about a detainee’s medical care due to federal privacy laws but is “committed to providing safe, humane and respectful care for everyone entrusted to us” and adheres to applicable federal detention standards. ICE did not respond to an Associated Press request for comment on the autopsy report.

Sources:
Associated Press (via KTAR), “Autopsy confirms role of dental problems in Arizona detainee’s death,” May 19, 2026: ktar.com/immigration/autopsy-haitian-man-dental
CNN, “How understaffing and DHS policy drives rising deaths in ICE detention centers,” May 15, 2026:
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