SPREADING

First ICE Detainee Dies of Coronavirus in San Diego

Carlos Escobar-Mejia had lived in the United States for 40 years prior to his detention in January.

A 57-year-old man from El Salvador has become the first to die of the coronavirus in U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement custody. Carlos Escobar-Mejia, detained at Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego since January, had been hospitalized in April, according to a statement from the San Diego public health department, and he succumbed to COVID-19 on Wednesday. Prior to his detention, Escobar-Mejia had been living in the United States for 40 years. There are 131 other confirmed coronavirus cases at Otay, and 10 employees have tested positive. The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit to compel the release of Otay Mesa detainees in hopes of slowing the virus. U.S. prisons in some states have adopted the practice.