Emiliano Andrade-Covarrubias, a 56-year-old man detained at the Rio Grande Processing Center in Laredo, Texas, died last week after reportedly being denied adequate medical care, according to his daughter and local officials. Andrade-Covarrubias, who had underlying health conditions including diabetes, hypertension, and a heart condition, appeared pale and unwell during a video call with his daughter on Friday. The following day, he was found unconscious in his cell and later died.

His daughter, Estefani Andrade, said her father repeatedly complained about the lack of access to medication and proper treatment during his detention. She stated that he had received medication only during the initial weeks after his arrival and was told he needed doctor approval for additional treatment, which he did not obtain. “He was coughing. He didn’t look like himself,” she said. “I asked if he was OK. He said, ‘They don’t listen to me.’”

The death was confirmed on Monday by U.S. Representative Henry Cuellar, a Democrat whose district includes Laredo. Cuellar, who was briefed by immigration officials, described Andrade-Covarrubias's medical history as involving diabetes, hypertension, and anxiety, and said that the legal status of the detainee was unclear. While immigration officials identified him as a Mexican citizen, family members and Mexican consulate officials reportedly told Cuellar that Andrade-Covarrubias was a legal U.S. resident.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) issued a statement asserting that Andrade-Covarrubias received proper medical care and had been seen by medical professionals during his detention. ICE also said he had obtained legal status "through fraudulent means" after failing to disclose a prior arrest during the immigration review process. They noted that he was in the process of removal before an immigration judge at the time of his death.

The Rio Grande Processing Center is operated by the private company GEO Group, which referred inquiries to ICE. Andrade-Covarrubias’s death marks the second such fatality among immigrants detained in Laredo this year. Earlier in June, Felix Alcorta-Rodriguez, 63, was found unresponsive at the Webb County Detention Center in Laredo and later died at a hospital.

Advocates and family members have criticized medical care at immigration detention centers nationwide, describing conditions as inadequate and citing a rise in detainee deaths under the current administration. Cuellar emphasized the need for transparency and expedited access to information regarding detainee treatment and deaths.

Andrade-Covarrubias left Hidalgo, Mexico, as a teenager and had lived for decades in the Dallas area, where he raised three children. His daughter said he worked in painting and towing and frequently traveled between the United States and Mexico without issue until his detention in June while returning from Mexico by bus. She believes his detention was linked to a more than 20-year-old arrest related to alleged theft, although it is unclear whether he was convicted.

The family has received his belongings but continues to seek answers about the circumstances surrounding his death. “We have so many questions. He is not the only one to die like this,” Andrade said, expressing frustration over the treatment of detainees.