ADELANTO, Calif —A 39-year-old Mexican national, Ismael Ayala-Uribe, died early Monday morning while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, according to a statement released by the agency.
Ayala-Uribe was pronounced dead at 2:32 a.m. on September 22, 2025, at Victor Valley Global Medical Center. He had been transferred from the Adelanto ICE Processing Center after his condition worsened. ICE said he was scheduled to undergo surgery for an abscess but was found unresponsive shortly before 2 a.m. Despite lifesaving efforts, he could not be revived. The official cause of death remains under investigation.
Ayala-Uribe, who lived in Westminster, Orange County, for most of his life, was arrested on August 17 during a Border Patrol raid at the Fountain Valley Auto Wash, where he had worked for nearly 15 years. His family told L.A. TACO that he had been in good health before his detention but grew sick in the final two weeks of his life. His mother, Lucia Ayala, recalled him telling her, “Amá, no me quieren dar nada” (“Mom, they don’t want to give me anything”).
According to immigrant advocates, Ayala-Uribe is the 16th person to die in ICE detention this year, fueling renewed calls for investigations and demands for alternatives to immigrant incarceration.
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