Federal immigration officials are investigating the death of a 59-year-old Cambodian man who died while in custody at an Indiana detention facility this week.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced Wednesday that Lorth Sim was discovered unresponsive in his cell at Miami Correctional Facility on Monday. The cause of his death remains under investigation, and this marks the seventh fatality this year within the federal immigration detention system.
According to ICE records, Sim arrived in the United States as a refugee in 1983 and obtained permanent resident status three years later in 1986. He was taken into custody in Boston this past December.
Immigration court records show that a judge had previously ordered Sim’s deportation to Cambodia back in 2006. Federal authorities noted that Sim had prior arrests on charges including disorderly conduct, indecent exposure, and larceny, resulting in a suspended sentence and probation.
The death occurs amid a significant expansion of immigration enforcement under President Trump’s administration. Current detention numbers have swelled to approximately 68,000 individuals in early February, representing a dramatic increase from the 40,000 people held when Trump assumed office. This surge has coincided with immigration custody deaths reaching their highest point in twenty years.
Civil rights organizations and Democratic lawmakers have raised serious concerns about the treatment and conditions within ICE detention centers, describing them as inhumane.
Recent incidents have intensified this scrutiny. Earlier this month, Leqaa Kordia, a 33-year-old Palestinian woman whose mother holds U.S. citizenship, required three days of hospitalization after suffering a seizure while in immigration detention. Kordia reported being restrained with chains during her medical treatment.
Federal immigration authorities maintain they provide appropriate medical care to all detainees, and government officials reject claims of inhumane treatment.
Particular attention has focused on ICE following the January 3rd death of Cuban immigrant Geraldo Lunas Campos at a Texas detention facility. The El Paso County medical examiner ruled that death a homicide caused by asphyxia from compression to the neck and torso. A Washington Post investigation included witness accounts alleging guards choked Lunas.
The Department of Homeland Security has provided inconsistent explanations regarding that incident and has not acknowledged the choking allegations or homicide determination.
