A Salvadoran man held at the Northwest ICE Processing Center in Tacoma says he suffered a stroke just as officials were preparing to deport him to El Salvador’s notorious CECOT prison, and his family fears he could be put on a plane before he has fully recovered.
Relatives say he was taken to St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, where he remains under guard. They report being shut out of full medical updates and worry that he might be discharged directly into ICE custody, then removed from the country while still in fragile condition.
The account was first reported by Capital & Main, which reviewed court filings showing that the Ninth Circuit had previously blocked his removal while appeals were pending but declined to grant renewed emergency requests to stop his deportation at the end of April. His attorneys say shifting conditions in El Salvador lie at the heart of their efforts to keep him in the United States.
Family members told Times of San Diego that on Thursday he complained his face had twisted and he was experiencing severe head pain. They say staff at the Tacoma facility waited four or five hours before arranging outside medical care. According to the family, ICE has sharply limited his ability to communicate and refused to let him sign medical releases that would authorize doctors, lawmakers or his attorney to receive complete updates on his condition.
GEO Group, which operates the Northwest ICE Processing Center under contract with the federal government, told reporters that medical staff at the facility are employed through the ICE Health Service Corps and directed questions about individual care to the agency itself. At St. Joseph Medical Center, nurses have publicly complained that ICE guards sometimes ignore infection-control and privacy rules and that overly tight restraints have harmed patients. Those concerns were documented by KUOW. GEO’s own facility page outlines its description of services at the Tacoma lockup: GEO Group.
Why the risk matters
The detainee, Coto Delgado, says he was deported to El Salvador in 2013 and alleges that he was tortured there. He now fears being sent to CECOT, a high-security prison in El Salvador that critics say has been used to abuse deportees.
Human Rights Watch and other international outlets have documented allegations of beatings, sexual abuse and other mistreatment at CECOT, material his lawyers say underscores the danger of sending him back while he is recovering from a stroke. For broader context, see reporting from Human Rights Watch and The Guardian.
The case is unfolding as Washington state officials and local advocates ramp up scrutiny of the Tacoma facility itself. State leaders have asked a federal judge to order GEO Group to allow state health inspectors into the center after repeated denials, a legal push reported by KNKX. The broader political fight over those inspections and conditions at the site has been chronicled in coverage of the showdown over Tacoma ICE lockup.
Researchers have warned that recent changes to federal contracts could lower the standards applied at the Northwest ICE Processing Center. Advocates argue that any loosening of those rules only heightens the risks for detainees who experience medical emergencies and need fast, specialized care.
They also point to a broader pattern in the immigration system. An analysis from the Kaiser Family Foundation identified dozens of deaths in ICE custody since January 2025 and flagged numerous cases in which people’s health clearly deteriorated while they were detained, fueling calls for tougher oversight. The full brief is available from KFF.
Legal status and what might happen next
The legal ground under cases like this one is shifting. In a recent en banc decision, the Ninth Circuit narrowed its practice of granting automatic stays of removal, a change that can make last-minute appeals to halt deportations harder to win. The text of that ruling is available in the court’s public docket: Ninth Circuit order.
His lawyers say they are now pursuing emergency motions to block his removal while he recovers from the stroke. Court records show that a Louisiana judge vacated a New Orleans conviction in February, and his attorneys argue that decision should factor into whether he is deported, as reported by Times of San Diego.
His mother told reporters she is terrified for his life and pleaded with officials to let him remain with family while he heals. Hospital officials declined to discuss any patient-specific details but said their priority is ensuring appropriate care and safety for all patients in their custody, a statement provided to Capital & Main.
