Trans Asylum Seeker Beaten by ICE, Dies From Neglect

An independent autopsy concluded that a transgender asylum seeker, taken into custody by ICE, died from a lack of medical treatment and complications from it, according to recent news reports.

Roxsana Hernández Rodriguez’s autopsy, conducted on behalf of the Hernandez's family by the Transgender Law Center (TLC), showed that Hernandez Rodriguez was beaten during her detention at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in New Mexico, and died after “several days of severe, untreated dehydration,” that could have been prev ented.

“An independent autopsy report reveals that Roxsana was shackled for a long time and very tightly, enough to cause deep bruising on her wrists,” said Lynly Egyes, TLC’s director of litigation, via a press release (https://is.gd/vRcUKm).

“ … In the final days of her life, she was transferred from California to Washington to New Mexico, shackled for days on end. If she was lucky, she was given a bottle of water to drink. Her cause of death was dehydration and complications related to HIV. Her death was entirely preventable.” Hernandez Rodriguez, 33, was from Honduras, and died in late May, but the autopsy results weren’t released until late November. According to the TLC press release, she was seeking asylum and had arrived with “a caravan organized by ‘Diversidad Sin Fronteras.’ She arrived in Tijuana and sought asylum by presenting herself at the San Ysidro Port of Entry (SYPOE) in May. What followed was a hellish ordeal of being held in U.S. Customs & Border Protection custody in the notoriously cold holding areas, known as ‘hieleras,’ [and] growing increasingly ill as a result of the inhumane conditions. She was repeatedly denied access to medical care she begged for, only able to see a doctor after days of vomiting and diarrhea.” In a statement, Roxsana’s sisters talk about the hopeful new beginning turned ironic tragedy behind their sister fleeing from discrimination in Honduras, only to die from alleged inhumane treatment in American custody. “Roxsana Hernandez was our sister and it was an injustice to have her die the way she did,” the statement read. “They cut her life short and she was not able to fulfill her dreams. For us, her closest family, it’s been extremely painful to deal with. She left with dreams of opening a beauty salon and