A 68-year-old New Jersey man who spent more than two decades in the United States has died while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, prompting grief from his family and calls for accountability.
Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz, 68, a native of Honduras who lived in Union City, died on Jan. 6 in California, where he had been detained, ICE said. The agency said Yanez was admitted to a hospital for what it described as “heart-related health issues.” He was the second person from New Jersey to die in ICE custody since December.
His death comes amid growing national concern over deaths in immigration detention, with advocates and lawmakers calling for improvements in oversight and medical care, and as there are anti-ICE protests across the nation, including in New Jersey, sparked by the fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good, a U.S. citizen, by an ICE agent in Minneapolis…