ICE custody death: Family said Haitian man suffered severe tooth infection

AZ ICE custody death prompts accountability calls

ICE officials are responding to the death of a Haitian man who died in Arizona while in their custody. The man's family, along with lawmakers, say he didn't receive timely medical care. FOX 10's Ellen McNamara has more.

PHOENIX - ICE officials are responding to the death of a Haitian man who died in their custody in Arizona.

The man, identified as 56-year-old Emmanuel Damas, had a severe tooth infection. His family and lawmakers say he did not receive timely medical care. Now, elected leaders in Arizona are calling for an investigation.

The backstory:

Damas died on March 2 at a Scottsdale hospital. He was seeking asylum, and came to the U.S. illegally during the Biden administration. He had been held at the Florence Correctional Center after being arrested in Boston in September 2025 for assault and battery.

According to Damas' brother Presly Nelson, his asylum application was denied in January. Damas, who didn't speak English, called his family the following month.

"He said he had a toothache, and we told him to go to the nurse to actually get treated so they could send him to a dentist," said Nelson. "And he kept going and they kept giving him ibuprofen or Tylenol, but he was not getting any better. He told me he was not feeling good. He has this toothache that's killing him."

Nelson said Damas was taken to a hospital in Phoenix on Feb. 19, after his condition got worse. Nelson said Damas was in the ICU on life support. ICE officials said the hospital reported his likely diagnosis was septic shock due to pneumonia.

Days later, Damas was transferred to a hospital in Scottsdale for further care.

"He had been in a coma for a long time, like nine days. When we got there, he could not even open his eyes," Nelson said.

Politicians React:

Chandler City Councilwoman Christine Ellis, who is a registered nurse and a Haitian American, is calling for accountability.

"For me, being a medical person, I want to know: how can a nurse who's in the infirmary with someone keep coming to you and say they are in pain with a jaw that is swollen, and you couldn't do a physical assessment to check to see if they have lymph nodes that are swollen, and then call the medical director and get them on some antibiotics? Simple as that," Ellis said. "And so I was able to call Congressman Stanton. I was able to send information for Congressman Biggs. Both of them reached out back and their staff is on it. And we are asking for an investigation right now, thorough investigation. And I want to look into those nurses, those medical care people that were on site. I want their licenses looked into."

In a statement, Congressman Stanton said in part: "His family deserves answers and accountability, and I will not stop pushing until ICE provides it."

Meanwhile, three Democrats on Capitol Hill are demanding a full investigation.

The other side:

In a statement to FOX 10, Immigration and Customs Enforcement says: "Upon his detention, he was provided with a medical screening, where staff found no serious new medical issues but ensured he would keep receiving prescriptions for a preexisting medical condition."

What's next:

An autopsy will determine the cause of death.