Nicaraguan Immigrant Dies After Suicide Attempt in ICE Detention Facility

A Nicaraguan man being held in an ICE detention facility in California died Tuesday from injuries caused by a suicide attempt last week, the Los Angeles Times reported. Osmar Epifanio Gonzalez-Gadba, arrested by U.S. Border Patrol agents at the U.S.-Mexico border in December 2016, had been on life support since the suicide attempt on March 22. He was found in his cell during a guard’s routine patrol and taken to a nearby medical center. Authorities said Tuesday the preliminary cause of death was heart failure caused by brain swelling, a result of asphyxiation. Virginia Kice, a spokeswoman for ICE, said authorities at the Adelanto Detention Facility had no reason to suspect Gonzalez-Gadba was suicidal. ICE officials are searching for a next of kin, and have contacted the Nicaraguan consulate for assistance.