March 5, 2026
Contact: media@haitianbridge.org,  Paige Censale, pcensale@haitianbridge.org

SAN DIEGO, CA. — The Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) mourns the profound loss of Emmanuel Damas , a 56-year-old Haitian asylum seeker who died after being held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention in Arizona. Damas died at a Scottsdale hospital after reportedly suffering complications linked to an untreated tooth infection while detained at the Florence ICE facility, raising serious concerns about access to timely medical care for immigrants in government custody.

Damas’ death is part of a deeply troubling pattern. At least 30–32 people died in ICE detention in 2025.The crisis appears to be continuing into this year. Multiple deaths have already been reported in the early months of 2026, including four migrants died while in U.S. immigration custody, in the first 10 days alone in 2026. 

“Far too many immigrants—including Haitian nationals—have died in ICE custody,” said Guerline Jozef, Executive Director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance.

“The death of Emmanuel Damas is a devastating reminder that our immigration detention system is failing the most basic standard of human dignity. People seeking safety should not die from untreated medical conditions while in government custody. These deaths demand urgent accountability, transparency, and meaningful reform.”

HBA calls on federal authorities to launch independent investigations into deaths in immigration detention, ensure adequate medical care for all detainees, and expand humane, community-based alternatives to detention. The Haitian Bridge Alliance extends its deepest condolences to the family of Emmanuel Damas and to all families who have lost loved ones in immigration detention.

ABOUT HAITIAN BRIDGE ALLIANCE

Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA), also known as “The Bridge”, is a grassroots community organization that advocates for fair and humane immigration policies, foreign policy, and provides migrants and immigrants with humanitarian, legal, and social services, with a particular focus on Black migrants, the Haitian community, women and girls, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and survivors of torture and other human rights abuses. HBA also seeks to elevate the issues unique to Black migrants and builds solidarity and collective movement toward policy change. Anpil men chay pa lou (“Many hands make the load light”). Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook: @haitianbridge