Mexican national dies in ICE custody at Florence facility

Published: Monday, July 11, 2022 - 6:18pm

A Mexican citizen being held in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody in Florence has died. 

ICE says 36-year-old Benjamin Gonzalez-Soto was taken into custody on June 30, upon being released from Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office custody for possessing drug paraphernalia and blocking a roadway. 

In a press release, ICE said he collapsed on July 8 while in custody at the Central Arizona Florence Correctional Complex. It said received emergency medical care from facility’s medical personnel and paramedics but was pronounced dead in the early morning hours of that day. 

The agency said Gonzalez-Soto had access to medical care since the time of his intake. A spokesperson declined to immediately provide more information on why he collapsed or whether he was receiving medical care prior to that. An autopsy is being conducted to determine his official cause of death.

Gonzalez-Soto is the second person to die in ICE custody nationwide since October. The agency said the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility and the Mexican Consulate have been informed of his death.

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