Thread: Illegal with AIDS dies at Immigration Detention Center

And of course the family (and the ACLU of course) is trying to sue the USA! This person was deported in 2003 and snuck back in. And was placed in the detention center in May. This tells me this person's disease process was advanced if death occurred within 2 months. I doubt anything would have saved this person's life at this point. And why do we have to have Immigration hearings for people who've been previously ordered deported?

Detained immigrant with AIDS dies, family says denied treatment
08/11/07 03:19:02


The family of a 23-year-old AIDS patient who died in custody at an immigration detention center in San Pedro believes Victor Arrelano was improperly denied vital medical treatment.

The family of Arrelano, an undocumented immigrant from Mexico, will file a wrongful death claim against the U.S. government.

The allegation of mistreatment comes three weeks after Arrelano died at a San Pedro hospital.

"What happened here is simply an outrage," Roman Silberfeld, the family's attorney, said Friday. "This is someone who never should have been permitted to get to this state of decline when relatively simple meds, if available and properly administered, would have avoided this tragedy."

The death was one of three to come to light this week involving immigration detainees across the United States.

"Based solely on what I have heard so far about the Los Angeles case, I am incredibly disturbed but unfortunately not surprised," said Tom Jawetz, staff attorney for the National Prison Project of the American Civil Liberties Union in Washington, D.C. "We have been in touch with detainees, advocates and attorneys around the country and there is no question that the No. 1 complaint my office receives about detention facilities is poor medical care."

Immigration and health services officials defended the medical care provided to detainees.

A Washington spokeswoman for the Division of Immigration Health Services said on an average day about 15,000 detainees are screened by division staff, while thousands of others receive contracted medical care at county jails and other detention facilities.

Virginia Kice, spokeswoman for the regional office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said the agency spends more than $98 million annually to provide detainees with medical and dental care.

"We want to emphasize the fact that when illegal aliens are in ICE custody, they receive an array of health care services," she said.

Arrelano, a transgender person who went by the name Victoria, had been deported to Mexico in 2003. Arrelano was in detention since mid-May pending an immigration hearing to determine whether she would again be returned to Mexico.

According to attorneys involved in the case, Arrelano's physical condition deteriorated to the point that fellow detainees implored the staff to provide medication.

"These are people who are on the verge of being deported and have their cases pending and yet they stand up to the government that could kick them out and say, 'This is wrong,' "Silberfeld said. "To me, that is a pretty powerful statement."

When her condition became critical, Arrelano was transferred to a San Pedro hospital and died several days later.
Information from: Los Angeles Times, http://www.latimes.com

http://www.fresnobee.com/552/story/109767.html

agency spends more than $98 million annually to provide detainees with medical and dental care.

Even dental care!! They are being treated better than citizens!

He contributed so much to society after all...he was worth getting extensive medical treatment at U.S. Govt. expense.

If this man died of some AIDS-related malady, his death wouldn't have been prevented by administering a dose or two of medication. Obviously his disease was so advanced that he was on the outs.

This isn't the same as, say, going into a diabetic coma and being denied insulin...this is something entirely different. And it will be difficult for the family to pin the "girl's" (and I use that term loosely) death on negligence.

"We want to emphasize the fact that when illegal aliens are in ICE custody, they receive an array of health care services," she said.

I have insurance, and still had to pay for getting a filling and crown?? Whaile these illegals sit back and get FREE health and dental care!! This is absurd!!!!!!!