Rep. Ayanna Pressley demands probe after Boston man dies in ICE custody

Emmanuel Damas, a 56-year-old Haitian man from Dorchester, Boston, died on March 2 at an Arizona hospital while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, his family and Massachusetts lawmakers say. They allege a toothache that began in mid-February was treated only with over-the-counter painkillers at the detention center and deteriorated into a fatal infection after what the family calls delayed and insufficient medical care.

Damas was taken into ICE custody in Boston in September 2025 following an arrest for assault and battery, ICE said. He was later held at the Central Arizona Florence Correctional Center in Florence, Arizona; reports describe the facility as run by a for-profit prison company, though the operator name was not provided in the available accounts. Family members say Damas had been seeking asylum in Massachusetts and was in the country legally.

According to family statements and a letter from Rep. Ayanna Pressley and Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, Damas first complained of a bad toothache in mid-February and visited the Florence facility’s clinic on Feb. 17 and Feb. 18. The lawmakers’ letter, cited in reporting, says clinic staff gave acetaminophen and ibuprofen but denied dental treatment and delayed a hospital referral. A detainee who spoke with the family told them Damas had been "very sick" for five days and staff "lacked urgency" in sending him to the hospital, the letter says.

Family members report that Damas was taken to a hospital on Feb. 19 after his condition worsened and that by Feb. 20 he was on life support in intensive care with pneumonia. The family was later told Damas had been returned to detention on Feb. 23, then learned he was hospitalized again and scheduled for surgery on Feb. 26, before his death on March 2.

ICE disputed portions of the account in a public announcement that did not mention a toothache and said Damas reported shortness of breath. The agency quoted a physician as reporting the preliminary cause of death "unknown at this time" and said, "ICE is committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments. Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay." ICE added, "At no time during detention is a detained alien denied emergency care."

The case has prompted aggressive demands for oversight from Massachusetts Democrats. In their letter lawmakers wrote, "ICE's failure to provide timely medical care to Mr. Damas appears to have contributed to his worsening medical condition and tragic death," called the death "highly preventable" and said the incident "raises serious questions regarding ICE's ability to timely treat and care for individuals it detains." Rep. Pressley also said Damas is at least the 10th person to die in ICE custody this year.

Damas’s brother, identified in reporting as Presner Nelson, pushed back against criminal labels and framed the death as a preventable failure: "He's not a criminal. He didn't do anything," he said, adding, "No other family should go through what we are going through. I hope he's the last one."

The divergent accounts — family and lawmakers citing denied dental care and delayed hospital transfer, ICE citing respiratory distress and a pending medical determination — leave central factual disputes unresolved. The questions now focus on medical encounter logs, hospital records and an autopsy or medical examiner's report, along with ICE custody-transfer records and facility oversight documents. The episode underscores persistent oversight and medical-care challenges inside the U.S. immigration detention system and sets up heightened congressional scrutiny and possible investigations.