Dallas-area ICE detainee passes away at local hospital

DALLAS — An Armenian man held in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) died Tuesday morning at the Texas Health Huguley Hospital (THHH) in Fort Worth, Texas. An autopsy is scheduled to determine his cause of death.

Gourgen Mirimanian, 54, entered ICE custody at the Prairieland Detention Center (PDC) in Alvarado, Texas, on Feb. 6, 2018.

On April 10, 2018, staff at PDC found Mirimanian unresponsive on his bunk. PDC medical staff performed CPR and contacted emergency medical services (EMS). EMS transported Mirimanian to THHH where medical staff declared Mirimanian deceased at 9:12 a.m.

Mirimanian first entered the United States on April 28, 1994, in Los Angeles, California, on a temporary visitor’s visa. On July 30, 2013, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York convicted Mirimanian of racketeering conspiracy, an aggravated felony; he was sentenced to 60 months’ incarceration.

On Dec. 12, 2017, ICE deportation officers encountered Mirimanian at a Bureau of Prisons facility in Fort Worth, and lodged an immigration detainer on him.  On Feb. 6, 2018, the Bureau of Prisons released Mirimanian to ICE custody pursuant to the immigration detainer.

Based on his aggravated felony conviction, on March 6, 2018, an immigration judge ordered Mirimanian removed to Armenia. Both ICE and Mirimanian waived appeal of the judge’s decision.

Consistent with the agency’s protocols, the appropriate state health and local law enforcement agencies have been notified about the death, as have the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General and ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility. Additionally, ICE is coordinating Mirimanian’s death notification to the Armenian Embassy, as well as to his next of kin. Mirimanian is the fourth detainee to pass away in ICE custody in fiscal year 2018, which began Oct. 1, 2017.

ICE’s Health Service Corps (IHSC) ensures the provision of necessary medical care services as required by ICE Performance-Based National Detention Standards and based on the medical needs of the detainee. 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. Pursuant to our commitment to the welfare of those in the agency’s custody, ICE annually spends more than $180 million on the spectrum of healthcare services provided to detainees.