Cambodian Man Dies in US Immigration Custody as Seventh Detainee Death Investigated

WASHINGTON — On February 19, 2026, the United States launched an investigation into the seventh immigrant death in U.S. immigration custody this year. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) reported that a 59-year-old Cambodian man named Loth Sim was found unresponsive in his cell at an Indiana detention facility on Monday. Sim, who originally arrived in the U.S. as a refugee in 1983 and became a legal permanent resident in 1986, was subject to a 2006 deportation order to Cambodia. Staff attempted lifesaving measures after finding him unresponsive, but he was pronounced dead at approximately 07:10 local time. The death occurs amid rising immigration detention numbers and ongoing criticism about conditions in ICE facilities, with approximately 68,000 people currently in detention. ICE maintains that detainees receive appropriate medical care, while civil rights groups continue to challenge the treatment of immigrants in custody.