Honduran migrant, 30, dies at hospital after falling ill while being held at Texas detention center by ICE for four weeks

  • Yimi Alexis Balderramos-Torres, 30, has died while in custody of ICE in Texas
  • Balderramos-Torres was pronounced dead at 6:45am on Sunday
  • He was found unconscious in his sleeping area at the Houston Contract Detention Facility near the George Bush Intercontinental Airport
  • It's not yet known what caused his death but an autopsy has been ordered
  • Balderramos-Torres was being held awaiting deportation to Honduras after entering the US illegally for the third documented time on May 27
  • He previously entered on May 17 seeking asylum and had been deported to Mexico while that case was pending under Trump administration policy
  • He had also entered illegally in 2013 and was quickly deported to Honduras 

A Honduran migrant has died in the custody of federal immigration agents after falling ill at a Houston detention facility, making him the sixth to die while being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since October.

Yimi Alexis Balderramos-Torres, 30, died on Sunday morning in a suburban Houston hospital after he was found unresponsive in his sleeping quarters, according to a statement issued on Monday by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

Balderramos-Torres had an asylum case pending in US courts after being found on May 17 to have entered El Paso, Texas illegally, and was made to the leave the country while he waited for his case to move forward, under the Trump administration's Migrant Protection Protocols (also referred to as 'remain in Mexico') policy.

He then returned to the US, and was taken into custody by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) office who encountered him during a routine traffic stop on May 27, before being turned over to ICE. 

This was Balderramos-Torres' third documented illegal entry into the US.

Honduran migrant Yimi Alexis Balderramos-Torres, 30 (pictured), died on Sunday morning in a Texas hospital while in the custody of federal immigration agents after falling ill at the Houston Contract Detention Facility, making him the sixth to die while being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since October

Honduran migrant Yimi Alexis Balderramos-Torres, 30 (pictured), died on Sunday morning in a Texas hospital while in the custody of federal immigration agents after falling ill at the Houston Contract Detention Facility, making him the sixth to die while being held by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since October

CBP turned Balderramos-Torres over to ICE agents on June 6 and he was transferred to the Houston Contract Detention Facility on June 18, after a removal order from 2013 was reinstated.

According to ICE, Balderramos-Torres previously entered the US illegally and was encountered by US Border Patrol near Falfurrias, Texas, on August 5, 2013. He was then deported to Honduras on August 14, 2013. 

While at the detention facility near George Bush Intercontinental Airport for the past several weeks, he fell ill from a presently unknown cause and was taken to a hospital in the nearby city of Humble.

Balderramos-Torres had an asylum case pending in US courts after being found on May 17 to have entered El Paso, Texas illegally, and was made to the leave the country while he waited for his case to move forward, under the Trump administration's Migrant Protection Protocols (also referred to as 'remain in Mexico') policy. He then returned to the US, and was taken into custody by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) office who encountered him during a routine traffic stop on May 27, before being turned over to ICE. A file photo is shown of ICE escorting a man being detained

Balderramos-Torres had an asylum case pending in US courts after being found on May 17 to have entered El Paso, Texas illegally, and was made to the leave the country while he waited for his case to move forward, under the Trump administration's Migrant Protection Protocols (also referred to as 'remain in Mexico') policy. He then returned to the US, and was taken into custody by Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) office who encountered him during a routine traffic stop on May 27, before being turned over to ICE. A file photo is shown of ICE escorting a man being detained

CBP turned Balderramos-Torres over to ICE agents on June 6 and he was transferred to the Houston Contract Detention Facility (pictured) on June 18, after a removal order from 2013 was reinstated. According to ICE, Balderramos-Torres previously entered the US illegally and was encountered by US Border Patrol near Falfurrias, Texas, on August 5, 2013. He was then deported to Honduras on August 14, 2013

CBP turned Balderramos-Torres over to ICE agents on June 6 and he was transferred to the Houston Contract Detention Facility (pictured) on June 18, after a removal order from 2013 was reinstated. According to ICE, Balderramos-Torres previously entered the US illegally and was encountered by US Border Patrol near Falfurrias, Texas, on August 5, 2013. He was then deported to Honduras on August 14, 2013

'Attempts by medical personnel from ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC) and Emergency Medical Services (EMS) to revive Balderramos-Torres were unsuccessful,' ICE said on Monday. 

'EMS immediately transferred him to Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospital; MHNH medical staff pronounced him deceased on June 30 at 6:45am.'  

Gladys Arias of the Honduran consulate in Texas has asked for an autopsy of the body of Balderramos-Torres to determine his exact causes of death, according to El Heraldo, a Honduran news organization.

ICE said in its statement: 'Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment detainees arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay. All ICE detainees receive medical, dental and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility, a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arrival at a facility, and access to daily sick call and 24-hour emergency care.'

The agency said it spends more than $269 million annually on healthcare services provided to detainees. 

Balderramos-Torres is originally from the Catamacas municipality in the department of Olancho in Honduras. 

The family of Balderramos-Torres has been contacted and they have already begun the process to have his body returned to his homeland in Catacamas for a proper burial. 

On Sunday morning, Balderramos-Torres was found unresponsive in his sleeping quarters at the detention facility and was taken to Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospital (pictured) in the nearby city of Humble, where MHNH medical staff pronounced him deceased at 6:45am

On Sunday morning, Balderramos-Torres was found unresponsive in his sleeping quarters at the detention facility and was taken to Memorial Hermann Northeast Hospital (pictured) in the nearby city of Humble, where MHNH medical staff pronounced him deceased at 6:45am