A 56-year-old Mexican national has died in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in Texas after his daughter alleged that staff refused to give him medication for his heart condition and diabetes.

Emiliano Andrade-Covarrubias, whose immigration status is disputed, was found unresponsive in his cell at the Rio Grande Processing Center in Laredo at about 10am on Saturday 17 October during a routine security check, US Representative Henry Cuellar confirmed to US media.

Mr Cuellar said staff began CPR and called emergency services, but paramedics could not revive him. The Webb County medical examiner's office conducted an autopsy, and local broadcaster KGNS reported on 19 October that the death had been classified as natural.

ICE said it had notified the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General and its own Office of Professional Responsibility, which it described as standard procedure.

Daughter's Allegations Over Denied Medication

Estefani Andrade, 29, told reporters her father arrived at the centre carrying prescriptions for a heart condition, diabetes and high blood pressure, but staff would not give him his medication.

She said he became noticeably thinner over months of video calls and developed a persistent cough. The family was alarmed because he had been hospitalised with Covid-19 in 2021.

In their last conversations, she said, he told her he felt unwell, struggled to breathe and had tightness in his chest. She alleged that when he sought medical help, staff 'would just ignore him'. Her claims have not been independently verified.

ICE said in a statement that Mr Andrade-Covarrubias 'received proper medical care and was seen by medical professionals'. It listed anxiety, diabetes and high blood pressure in his medical history. The agency has not published a timeline of consultations or prescriptions, or released his medical records.

The facility is operated by private contractor GEO Group, which referred questions to ICE.

The family said neither ICE nor any other federal agency told them of his death. They said they learned of it from the medical examiner's office, which said his body had arrived for autopsy. Ms Andrade has begun a crowdfunding campaign for funeral costs.

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Questions Over ICE Detention in Texas

Mr Cuellar, who represents Laredo, visited the facility after the death. He said he had asked ICE whether Mr Andrade-Covarrubias requested medical help in the 72 hours before he died and which medications he was given. He said staff told him they could not discuss the case during the investigations.

Mr Andrade-Covarrubias had been held since late June, when immigration officers detained him as he returned from Mexico. He had lived in Dallas for decades, worked as a contractor painting apartments and townhouses, and had three adult children, all US citizens.

His legal status is disputed. ICE said he was placed in removal proceedings after officials concluded he had obtained his green card 'through fraudulent means' by not disclosing a 2004 theft arrest.

Ms Andrade said her father disclosed the arrest and the government approved his residency regardless. The Department of Homeland Security has not provided documentation of any conviction.

He was the seventh person to die in ICE custody in Texas in 2026 and the second at an ICE facility in Laredo that year. Felix Alcorta-Rodriguez, 63, was found unresponsive at the Webb County Detention Center on 19 June. In January, the El Paso Medical Examiner ruled the death of detainee Geraldo Lunas Campos a homicide.

Mexico's government has said it will file a complaint in the US over Mr Andrade-Covarrubias's death, and its foreign ministry has called for a prompt and transparent investigation.

Ms Andrade said the family planned to collect her father's belongings from the centre on Monday.

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