Bulgarian business owner dies from untreated diabetes in ICE custody; family and lawmakers demand investigation
Feb 17, 2026 · Baldwin, MI, Bulgaria

Nenko Gantchev, a 56-year-old Bulgarian national who lived in Chicago for 30 years, died on December 16, 2025, while in ICE custody at North Lake Correctional Facility in Baldwin, Michigan, operated by GEO Group. He had been arrested in September 2025 during an immigration enforcement operation. Gantchev had type 2 diabetes and deteriorating health conditions that advocates say went untreated. His death prompted calls from his family and U.S. Representatives Haley Stevens and Hillary Scholten for an immediate investigation. The lawmakers toured the facility and expressed frustration that the Department of Homeland Security has not responded to their inquiries about his death, which ICE attributed to natural causes. Immigrant rights advocates, including the ACLU of Michigan and Michigan Immigrant Rights Center, documented that multiple detainees at the facility have been denied emergency and routine medical care, prescription medications, and follow-up care after hospitalization. Gantchev's family has sought a private autopsy.
Timeline
Sources
- abc7chicago.com (archived)
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- cashwalklabs.io (archived)
- bestlagos.ng (archived)
- Instagram (archived)
- abc7chicago.com (archived)
- laprensanewspaper.com (archived)
- ithacajournal.com (archived)
- spectrumlocalnews.com (archived)
- mlive.com (archived)
- petoskeynews.com
- cm.ithacajournal.com (archived)
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