This story originally published online in Spanish at Enlace Latino NC.
A Mexican man who lived in Durham and was in ICE custody died at a hospital in Augusta, Georgia, after developing an aggressive form of leukemia that quickly claimed his life.
Prisciliano Trejo Ricano began feeling ill while detained at a detention center in Georgia, where he had been held for three weeks and said he did not receive medical care despite experiencing severe symptoms.
The 29-year-old died at 6 a.m. on Friday, July 24, according to information provided to Enlace Latino NC by a relative.
Prisciliano was arrested June 19 in the Durham area and transferred to the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. So far this year, the deaths of 50 immigrants in ICE custody, including Prisciliano, have been made public.
“We know his family is now grieving. Prisciliano was a young man who came to the United States when he was 3 years old and was detained on June 19. He experienced many medical difficulties while detained and, despite advocating for access to medical care, it was denied until he could no longer endure it,” Stefania Arteaga, founder and executive director of Carolina Migrant Network, told Enlace Latino NC.
On Saturday, July 24, Arteaga, along with her organization and other local groups, held a vigil in Charlotte to honor Mexican worker Lorenzo Salgado Araujo and Colombian man Johan Sebastián Guerrero, who died one week apart, on July 7 and July 13, after being shot by ICE agents in Texas and Maine.
During the event, there was an emotional moment when Arteaga read the names of 24 of the 50 immigrants who have died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers, including Prisciliano, since President Donald Trump took office.
During the three weeks Prisciliano was held at Stewart, he became seriously ill and called and video-called his family every day for emotional support.
“During his time there, he experienced high levels of stress, depression and physical illness. He told his family on several occasions that he felt sick, was coughing up blood, was in pain and had a bruise that would not heal,” one of his cousins wrote in a GoFundMe fundraiser created to help cover funeral expenses.
On July 16, his family received a call from his attorney informing them that Prisciliano had been transferred to a hospital in Atlanta and was in the intensive care unit.
“The news devastated the family, and everyone drove between four and five hours to reach the hospital where he was admitted. At first, the family was not allowed to visit him because Prisciliano was still in ICE custody, but eventually the attorneys and ICE reached an agreement, and he was released from that custody,” his cousin wrote.
“It is very difficult to see someone who was almost never sick and was in good health now intubated, connected to intravenous medications and restrained to a hospital bed while fighting for his life,” the cousin added.
On July 10, the Mexican national turned 29 while in detention and thanked people for their birthday wishes on his Facebook profile, where he also described the difficult situation he was facing.
“Here they treat you like a number or a placeholder for the next group of people who come and go. This week I’ve been dealing with a severe sore throat, coughing up blood in the morning and at night, and very intense migraines, and I still haven’t been treated or given any medication,” Prisciliano wrote.
“It’s not that I’m not holding on tightly, through faith and the support of my family and friends who know about this. That also doesn’t mean it’s easy. There were days when I cried and felt helpless. This is truly the worst feeling of my life,” he continued.
“I pray for the people in this situation because it’s not easy. Most of these people aren’t even criminals. They’re either working or on their way home when they’re taken into custody,” the young man added.
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