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Laredo ICE detainee’s death marks seventh in Texas this year
Emiliano Andrade-Covarrubias, 56, was found unresponsive at the Rio Grande Processing Center on Saturday. His daughter says he had health conditions and told her he struggled to get medical attention while detained; federal officials had not responded to requests for comment by Sunday.
A 56-year-old man from Mexico died Saturday morning at the Rio Grande Processing Center in Laredo, becoming the seventh person to die in Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention in Texas this year, according to U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar and the man’s daughter.
Emiliano Andrade-Covarrubias was found unresponsive in his cell during a security check at about 10 a.m., Cuellar said. Staff performed CPR and called emergency services. The cause of death had not been publicly announced. The Webb County Medical Examiner is conducting an autopsy.
Andrade-Covarrubias’ daughter, Estefani Andrade, said federal officials had not contacted the family by Sunday. She said relatives learned of his death from the medical examiner and planned to go to the facility Monday to collect his belongings.
Andrade-Covarrubias lived in Dallas for decades and worked painting apartments and townhomes, his daughter said. He had three adult children, all born in the United States. He was detained in June after returning from Mexico by bus, she said.
His daughter said he had a heart condition, diabetes and high blood pressure, and that he had medication with him when he was detained. She alleged that facility staff did not provide his medication. She also said he developed a cough and told her he was having trouble breathing and chest tightness, but that staff dismissed his requests for help.
During video calls, she noticed he had lost weight, she said. Andrade-Covarrubias had been hospitalized with COVID-19 in 2021, and the illness had lasting effects on his health, she added.
Cuellar said he planned to visit the facility Sunday to ask what happened and about detainees’ conditions and access to medical care. GEO Group, which operates the facility, and Department of Homeland Security officials did not immediately respond to comment requests sent Sunday.
Andrade-Covarrubias is the second person to die this year at an ICE facility in Laredo. Felix Alcorta-Rodriguez, 63, died June 19 after being found unresponsive at the Webb County Detention Center, according to ICE. The first ICE detention death in Texas this year was Geraldo Lunas Campos, whose death was ruled a homicide by the El Paso Medical Examiner’s Office in January.