ICE detainee death in Puerto Rico

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A British Virgin Islands man in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) passed away early Saturday at the Puerto Rico Medical Center in Rio Piedras.

Glaston Smith, 51, of Tortola, was allegedly stabbed by other inmates while in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) in Guaynabo, a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility. On April 6, Smith informed an MDC unit officer that he had been stabbed multiple times. Smith was evaluated by the institution medical staff and was transported by ambulance to the Puerto Rico medical center where he was pronounced dead.

On Feb. 26, he was transferred to the MDC in Guaynabo from the St. Thomas Criminal Justice Complex. At the time of his death, he was awaiting removal from the United States.

ICE advised the British consulate in Miami of Smith's death and consular officials notified his next of kin. The FBI is investigating the circumstances surrounding his death due to the alleged murder. Smith is the third detainee to pass away in ICE custody in fiscal year 2013.