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Durham man dies from leukemia in ICE custody after being denied medical care

Jul 24, 2026 · Durham, NC, Mexico

Durham man dies from leukemia in ICE custody after being denied medical care

Prisciliano Trejo Ricano, a 29-year-old Mexican national who had lived in Durham, North Carolina since age 3, died on July 24 from leukemia while in ICE custody at Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. He was arrested on June 19 and transferred to Stewart, where he began feeling ill on July 6 and requested medical care. According to organizations monitoring his case, ICE did not provide treatment for eight days. He was hospitalized on July 13 and fell into a coma by July 15, at which point ICE transferred his custody to his family. His cousin and father described him as previously in good health, with his father stating he could not understand "how, in such a short time, his condition deteriorated to the point of death." He had just turned 29 on July 10 while detained. Detention Watch Network, Project South, Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, El Refugio, and Carolina Migrant Network called for investigations into his death and documented patterns of medical neglect at Stewart Detention Center, where his death was counted as the 15th or 50th in ICE custody depending on the counting methodology used.

Timeline

Jul 24, 2026Prisciliano Trejo Ricano died from acute leukemia while hospitalized
Jul 15, 2026Trejo fell into a coma; ICE transferred his custody to his family
Jul 13, 2026Trejo hospitalized in Atlanta after eight days without medical treatment
Jul 10, 2026Trejo turned 29 years old while detained, posted on Facebook about his condition
Jul 6, 2026Trejo reported severe symptoms including coughing up blood, intense migraines, and a non-healing bruise; he requested medical care
Jun 19, 2026Prisciliano Trejo Ricano arrested by ICE in Durham, North Carolina and transferred to Stewart Detention Center in Georgia

Sources

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