FLORENCE, AZ — A Haitian asylum-seeking man who was being detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Florence is dead after a tooth infection was reportedly not given “timely medical care.”
The family of Emmanuel Damas, 56, tells ABC15 that he died Monday after being in the custody of ICE since September 2025.
Damas came to the U.S. in February 2024 through a program under the Biden administration.
“The program was for two years,” his brother, Presly Nelson, said.
Nelson said they were seeking asylum for him, which was denied, and so they were in the appeal process.
Damas, a father of two, was a handyman in Haiti, before coming to the United States because of unrest in the country.
“The youngest still doesn't know his father passed because he was so close to him,” he said.
Nelson tells ABC15 he and his mother had been speaking with Damas by phone while he was being detained, and he had complained in mid-February of a toothache.
Nelson said he asked his brother if he had been taken to the dentist, but Damas said they just given him ibuprofen.
Days later, Nelson said another detainee called the family to let them know Damas was rushed to a hospital in Scottsdale.
Nelson said he and his family flew in from Boston. By that time, Damas was hooked up to a ventilator.
“When we got there he had been in this coma for the last 9 days,” said Nelson, “We believe in God. We thought a miracle could happen.”
However, hospital staff told the family it was not good.
“The nurse said he most likely he had a tooth infection and he did not get the proper attention and it had spread to his neck, then to his lungs, and he went septic, and it spread to his whole body,” said Nelson.
The family wants an investigation into what happened at the facility. “His stay would have expired exactly on February 19th and that's the exact date when he got sick.”
“Somebody dropped the ball for whatever reason,” Nelson added.
Read the full statement from Chandler City Councilmember Christine Ellis, released Tuesday:
"I am deeply heartbroken to learn of the death of Emmanuel Damas, a Haitian national who died yesterday while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement here in Arizona. He was taken into ICE custody in Boston in September 2025 and was ultimately transferred to a facility in Florence.
My prayers are with Mr. Damas’ family and the Haitian community during this difficult time. No family should ever endure such a loss, especially under circumstances that raise questions about access to timely and appropriate medical care.
Family members report that Mr. Damas first experienced a toothache in mid-February, which worsened in the days that followed. His reported struggle to receive timely medical attention before being transferred to a hospital raises serious and painful concerns about the quality of care provided to individuals in custody.
As a public servant and healthcare professional, I have engaged our Arizona congressional delegation to ensure that compassion, dignity and accountability remain at the center of how we treat every human being regardless of their immigration status. May Emmanuel’s memory inspire a renewed commitment to justice and humanity in all our institutions."
Following ABC15's story, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement provided the following information regarding Damas:
Emanuel Cleeford Damas, a criminal illegal alien from Haiti currently facing criminal charges for assault and battery, died at HonorHealth Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center (SOMC) John C. Lincoln Medical Center while in ICE custody on March 2, 2026, at Scottsdale Osborn Medical Center in Scottsdale, Arizona. He was pronounced dead at 1:12 p.m. after becoming unresponsive. Despite lifesaving efforts by facility staff, Damas died. The SOMC physician reported the preliminary cause of death as unknown at this time.
The Boston Police Department arrested Damas for assault and battery Sept. 14, 2025 and ICE Boston arrested Damas without incident at the Boston Police Department Nashua Street Jail in Boston, Massachusetts the next day. Damas was placed into ICE custody pursuant to the Lanken Riley Act, which mandates the detention of individuals with pending immigration cases who pose a risk to public safety.
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.
On September 26, 2025, ICE transferred Damas to the Florence Detention Center in Florenze, AZ, pending his immigration hearing. He was ordered removed by an Immigration Judge on January 6, 2026.
On January 27, Damas filed an appeal with the Board of Immigration appeals, however Mr. Damas remained in ICE custody pursuant to the Lanken Riley Act mandatory detention requirements mandating his continued detention as while the appeal was pending.
On February 19, 2026, Damas reported shortness of breath and was immediately sent to the Florence Anthem Hospital to receive care. He was then transferred to the John C. Lincoln Medical Center Intensive Care Unit (ICU) in Phoenix, AZ, for a higher level of care.
On February 20, 2026, DAMAS remained in the ICU intubated on a ventilator with 50% oxygen at John C. Lincoln Medical Center (JLMC). An ultrasound of his heart was completed along with many other tests that came back normal.
On February 21, 2026, DAMAS remained in the ICU with no changes to his status. He remained on a ventilator with 50% oxygen. The medical liaison for ICE relayed the next-of-kin contact information to the case manager at the hospital. On that same date, hospital case manager notified DAMAS’ next of kin.
On February 22, 2026, DAMAS remained in the ICU on a ventilator. The oxygen was turned down to 40% and he remained critical but stable.
On February 24, 2026, DAMAS remained in the ICU intubated and sedated on 55% oxygen per ventilator. The JLMC conducted an abdominal ultrasound with negative results. His ammonia, liver function tests, and white blood cell counts returned elevated.
On February 22, 2026, The JLMC conducted Methicillin Resistant Staph Aureus (MRSA) testing and blood cultures. DAMAS continued to receive multiple IV antibiotics. The JLMC reported the likely diagnosis to be septic shock due to pneumonia.
On February 25, 2026, DAMAS’ MRSA results came back negative. DAMAS continued with multiple IV antibiotics.
On February 25, 2026, the JLMC transferred DAMAS to the SOMC for a higher level of care and for a cardiothoracic workup. Before being transferred he had two chest tubes placed on his right side and a thoracentesis was completed to help remove excess fluid from the pleural spaces around the lungs.
On February 26, 2026, DAMAS remained in the ICU at the SOMC intubated and sedated on a ventilator on 40% oxygen. On that same date, the SOMC scheduled DAMAS for a right video assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) decortication procedure.
On February 27, 2026, DAMAS remained at the SOMC in the ICU.
On February 28, 2026, the medical liaison for ICE notified DAMAS’ next-of-kin that they were permitted to visit him.
On March 1, 2026, DAMAS’ next-of-kin and family members arrived at the SOMC and remained with him throughout the night while he remained under guard.
On March 2, 2026, DAMAS health did not improve after the VATS procedure. DAMAS continued to be intubated and sedated on a ventilator.
On March 2, 2026, at 1:12 p.m. MST, a doctor at the SOMC, in Scottsdale, AZ, pronounced DAMAS deceased. The SOMC physician reported the preliminary cause of death as unknown at this time.
ICE notified the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility and the consulate about the death, as required by agency policy.
ICE makes official notifications to Congress, nongovernmental organization stakeholders and the media upon official reports of in-custody alien deaths and posts news releases with relevant details on ICE's public website. You may access this information in ICE.gov’s Newsroom. Congressional requirements described in the DHS Appropriations Act of 2018 require ICE to publicize all reports regarding in-custody deaths within 90 days. You may access these reports on ICE.gov’s Detainee Death Reporting page.
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. All people in ICE custody receive medical, dental and mental health intake screenings within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility; a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arrival at a facility; access to medical appointments; and 24-hour emergency care. At no time during detention is a detained alien denied emergency care.
