A 29-year-old man from Durham died after spending weeks in Georgia immigration detention, where his family says he developed alarming symptoms and waited days for medical treatment. By the time he was released to his family, he had reportedly been diagnosed with acute leukemia and was in a coma.
According to WABE, Prisciliano Trejo was arrested in Durham in June and transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. His family said Trejo, who came to the United States from Mexico at age 3, had been in good health before detention but began coughing up blood, feeling sick and developing a bruise that would not heal.
Trejo reportedly waited eight days for medical treatment, according to the family account. Telemundo reported that his father said Trejo asked for help after coughing blood and that the family now wants an investigation into what happened.
WABE reported that ICE transferred Trejo to a Georgia hospital and later released him to his family while he was in a coma. Amilcar Valencia, executive director of El Refugio, said Trejo's health declined rapidly before his death, while ICE had not responded to the outlet's request for comment.
Why Trejo's Death May Escape ICE's Public Count
The case comes just weeks after the Trump administration rescinded a policy requiring investigations into deaths occurring within 30 days after an immigrant's release from detention. The Associated Press reported that ICE's revised policy says the agency is no longer responsible for monitoring or reviewing deaths after a person leaves its custody.
Because Trejo was released while critically ill and died after that release, his case may not receive the same public reporting as a death formally recorded inside ICE custody. The policy change has drawn criticism from medical and detention experts, who say deaths shortly after release can expose missed diagnoses, interrupted medication and untreated illness.
Stewart Detention Center sits in rural Lumpkin, about 140 miles southwest of Atlanta. In May, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that the facility held just over 2,000 detainees and ranked among the busiest ICE detention centers in the country, even as multiple people had died there or during transfers to the facility.
Georgia Detention Oversight Faces Fresh Scrutiny
Georgia lawmakers and advocates have already pressed the federal government for more information about deaths and medical care in immigration detention. Georgia Public Broadcasting reported that senators sought answers from the Department of Homeland Security after concerns about rising deaths and delays in ICE's public reporting.
El Refugio, a nonprofit serving people detained at Stewart and their families, says its work includes visitation, post-release support and advocacy, according to the organization's website. For Trejo's family, the central questions now concern when he first sought care, how quickly he was evaluated and why he left detention in a coma rather than receiving treatment earlier.
