Lorth Sim, a Cambodian national, died while in ICE custody at the Miami Correctional Facility in Miami County on Monday, according to an ICE news release. Sim, 59, was serving time for multiple offenses including disorderly conduct and larceny when he was found unresponsive in his cell; despite the efforts of both facility staff and EMS, he was pronounced dead at 7:10 a.m.
Sim's brush with the law began in 1989 with an arrest for disorderly conduct, progressed to an indecent exposure charge in 1996 and culminated in a larceny charge in 2005, after which he received a suspended sentence and probation, no prison time was involved, he later caught the attention of ICE and an immigration judge ordered his removal from the U.S. to Cambodia in 2006. On December 30, 2025, ICE officers arrested Sim in Boston, and he was transferred to ICE Chicago custody on January 5.
The deceased had entered the United States as a refugee in 1983, becoming a lawful permanent resident three years later. ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, and the Cambodian consulate were notified of his death per ICE protocol.
ICE has made a commitment to the public that all detainees will be housed in conditions that are safe, secure, humane, additionally, they receive comprehensive healthcare that includes medical, dental, and mental health evaluations upon arrival and consistent access to medical appointments as well as 24-hour emergency care, Sim's death remains under investigation and the findings will be published on the agency's Detainee Death Reporting page online.
