Immigration officials identify man who died at Tacoma facility as Mexican national
A man who died Sunday at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma, a privately-run detention facility, was identified by federal immigration officials as a 36-year-old citizen of Mexico.
Jose Manuel Sanchez-Castro was in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the time of his death, the agency said in a news release issued Tuesday. Officials said an autopsy is pending to determine the cause of his death.
It’s unclear when Sanchez-Castro arrived at the facility on the Tideflats. A representative for ICE did not answer emailed questions Tuesday or Wednesday morning. The Seattle Times reported Wednesday that a 911 call obtained by the University of Washington’s Center for Human Rights showed that the man was experiencing fentanyl withdrawal. A nurse reportedly placed the call and said the man was being held in a medical unit and had been found face down breathing but unresponsive. He had also vomited, the story reported.
ICE said in its news release that Sanchez-Castro was first arrested Aug. 19, 2009, by Seattle Enforcement and Removal Operations after he entered the country unlawfully. A “voluntary removal” was performed later that month, but he was subsequently encountered eight times after reentering on separate dates from September 2009 to July 2024.
During that time, ICE said Sanchez-Castro was convicted of illegal reentry twice in U.S. District Court in Arizona, in 2009 and 2012. He also had two convictions in Yakima County District Court, resisting arrest in 2011 and manufacture and delivery of amphetamine and/or methamphetamine in 2016.
Tacoma Fire Department personnel responded to the NWIPC, 1623 E. J St., at about 7:04 a.m. Sunday for a report of an unresponsive person who was breathing, a spokesperson said Tuesday. A radio traffic signal sent at 7:43 a.m. indicated that the person had died. A Tacoma Police Department officer also responded to the facility.
ICE said all people in its custody receive a medical, dental and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility, and a full health assessment is done within 14 days. At no time is a detained person denied emergent care, according to the agency.
“ICE remains committed to ensuring that all those in its custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments,” ICE said in the news release.
Sanchez-Castro’s death is the second to occur at the detention center this year, and the fourth to occur since it opened in 2004. The facility has 1,575 beds for detainees, making it one of the largest of ICE’s detention facilities in the nation. It is the only one located in the Pacific Northwest.
The GEO Group is the federal contractor that runs the facility. It is based in Florida and operates correctional facilities around the world, including a number of ICE facilities. Last year it reported more than $1.5 billion in revenue for its secure services operations in the United States, according to the Security and Exchange Commission.
This story was originally published October 30, 2024 at 1:26 PM.
