61st migrant dies under ICE custody at San Diego facility

Roberto Jiménez Gutiérrez is the 61st person to die while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement since tracking began. The 43-year-old Guatemalan citizen died on Saturday, October 24, while detained at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego, California.

ICE released a statement on Tuesday confirming the death. The agency reported that Jiménez Gutiérrez passed away in the morning. Medical personnel at the facility arrived quickly and began resuscitation efforts. Staff also requested support from local emergency services, who continued attempts to save his life. Authorities declared him dead at the medical center. The agency has not yet disclosed the specific cause of death.

Local officials have called for transparency regarding the incident. Paloma Aguirre, a supervisor for San Diego County, urged ICE and the private company CoreCivic, which manages the facility, to reach out to the family immediately. Aguirre requested that both parties cooperate in a thorough investigation and publish the findings.

“In some place, a family is waiting for a phone call, and my heart is with them,” Aguirre wrote in a statement on Tuesday. She emphasized the need for federal authorities to explain exactly what happened during the final hours of Jiménez Gutiérrez's detention.

The death has intensified scrutiny of conditions at privately run immigration facilities. CoreCivic operates the Otay Mesa site under contract with the federal government. Jiménez Gutiérrez's family has not yet been publicly identified in the official release, though Aguirre noted they are awaiting information from the agency. The next step in the process involves a formal review of medical records and facility logs by county and federal investigators.