A Cuban national’s death at Stewart Detention Center raises questions

Immigrant rights organizations are demanding an immediate investigation and public release of findings into the death of a Cuban national who died after being detained at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Ga.

Among those seeking answers regarding the death of 33-year-old Yulio Castro-Garrido are activists with Project South, which released a report last year titled “Imprisoned Justice: Inside Two Georgia Immigrant Detention Centers.” The report, published in partnership with other human rights organizations, focused on conditions at the Stewart and Irwin County detention centers based on interviews with detained immigrants and their attorneys between April 2016 and March 2017.

"This is tragically the third death in Georgia immigration detention centers in less than a year,” said Azadeh Shahshahani, legal and advocacy director of Project South, referring to Castro-Garrido’s death. “As our year-long documentation showed, access to healthcare at Stewart is grossly inadequate. As such, many questions surround this death. Ultimately, given the systematic human rights violations at Stewart, the facility needs to be shut down immediately."

In a June, 2017, ICE officials denied the accusations outlined in the report.

“The Project South document is based almost entirely on anonymous, undated allegations,” wrote the agency’s spokesman, Bryan D. Cox, in an email to the Ledger-Enquirer. “... U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is firmly committed to the safety and welfare of all those in its custody. The facilities named in these allegations are subject to regular inspections, both announced and unannounced, and each facility has repeatedly been found to operate in compliance with ICE’s rigorous Performance Based National Detention Standards.”

Castro-Garrido was transported Jan. 7 to Southwest Regional Medical Center in Cuthbert, Ga., after being diagnosed with pneumonia by ICE Health Service Corps personnel at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Ga. In all, he was transported to three hospitals and slipped into a coma on Jan. 22. He never regained consciousness and was pronounced dead Jan. 30 at the Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Fla.

“Since 2003, 178 people have died in immigrant detention – Castro-Garrido’s passing marks the second death to occur in ICE immigrant detention in fiscal year 2018,” immigrant advocates wrote in the news release. “Recent investigations into deaths in immigration detention...have found that inadequate medical care has contributed to numerous deaths.

“The Stewart Detention Center is emblematic of abuse found system-wide,” said Kevin Caron of Georgia Detention Watch. “No life is second-hand, yet in immigration detention the very premise of treating people with dignity and respect can never exist as long as people are behind bars.”

Castro-Garrido entered ICE custody on Nov. 24, following his transfer from the D. Ray James Federal Correctional Institute in Folkston, Ga., according to a news release issued by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. He was convicted Dec 8, 2016 of conspiracy to transport and move an undocumented alien within the United States by means of transportation and sentenced to a year and one day of confinement and three years of supervised probation.

On Jan. 4, an immigration judge ordered Castro-Garrido to be removed to Cuba, according to the news release, but he waived his right to appeal.

ICE officials have said a comprehensive internal review will be conducted regarding Castro-Garrido’s death.

This story was originally published February 5, 2018 at 5:45 PM with the headline "A Cuban national’s death at Stewart Detention Center raises questions."