Mexican migrant is 47th person to die in ICE custody during current administration
The Winn Correctional Center, a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility, in Winnfield, Louisiana, US, on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (Wayan Barre/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
(WINN PARISH, La.) — A Mexican migrant died last week in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, according to an agency notification sent to lawmakers, becoming the 47th person to die in ICE detention during the second Trump administration.
Alejandro Cabrera Clemente, 49, died on April 11 at the Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana.
In the notification, ICE said that Cabrera was found unresponsive and was transported to a local medical center.
“Despite life-saving efforts, at approximately 8:51 a.m., an onsite physician at WPMC pronounced Cabrera deceased,” the agency said.
Clemente is the 15th Mexican national to die in ICE custody since the administration began its immigration crackdown in 2025.
Last month, Mexican diplomat Vanessa Calva Ruiz called the recent deaths part of “an alarming, unacceptable trend” since the administration took office.
“These deaths reveal systemic failures, operational deficiencies, and possible negligence,” she said in Los Angeles.
ICE said that Clemente had prior convictions for disorderly conduct, drug possession, and probation violation, as well as an arrest for domestic violence. ABC News could not independently confirm these claims.
The increase in ICE deaths has coincided with an unprecedented rise in federal immigration detention. The number of people being held recently climbed to a record 70,000, the highest level in the agency’s 23-year history.
According to an ABC News analysis of ICE data, the first 14 months of the current term have been the deadliest period at federal detention centers since the COVID-19 pandemic. ABC News’ analysis found the current death rate is 11 per 100,000 admissions, compared to 7 per 100,000 last year and just 1 per 100,000 in 2022.
In a previous statement, an ICE spokesperson said, “Consistent with data over the last decade, death rates in custody are 0.009% of the detained population. As bed space has rapidly expanded, we have maintained a higher standard of care than most prisons that hold U.S. citizens — including providing access to proper medical care. For many illegal aliens this is the best healthcare they have received their entire lives.”
“It is a longstanding practice to provide comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, and mental health services as available, and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care,” the statement said.
A memorial dedicated to the 19 children and two adults murdered on May 24, 2022 during a mass shooting at Robb Elementary School is seen on January 06, 2026 in Uvalde, Texas. (Brandon Bell/Getty Images)
(CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas) — As soon as Wednesday afternoon, a Texas jury will begin deliberating whether a law enforcement officer should be held criminally responsible for failing to act in the face of one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history.
After nine days of testimony, prosecutors and defense lawyers in the trial of former Uvalde schools police officer Adrian Gonzales are scheduled to deliver their closing arguments in a Corpus Christi courtroom on Wednesday morning. Deliberations could begin as early as Wednesday afternoon.
At issue is whether Gonzales — one of the first officers to arrive at Robb Elementary on May 24, 2022 — ignored his training and endangered dozens of students when he responded to the shooting.
Prosecutors allege he “intentionally, knowingly, recklessly and with criminal negligence” put children in danger by failing to “engage, distract, and delay the shooter” in the critical first minutes of the shooting. If convicted on all 29 counts, Gonzales could spend the rest of his life in prison.
Nineteen students and two teachers died in the shooting nearly four years ago, with police officers waiting 77 minutes to confront the gunman as he was holed up inside a double classroom with students and teachers. While the shooting response has been the subject of hearings and investigations, the case against Gonzales marks the first criminal trial related to the shooting and the delayed police response.
What is he charged with? Gonzales was charged with 29 felony counts of abandoning/endangering children – one count for each of the 19 students who died in the shooting and the 10 children who survived in classroom 112.
Each count carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison, and Gonzales could spend the rest of his life in prison if he is convicted. While juries in Texas sometimes determine criminal sentences, Gonzales has opted to be sentenced by Judge Sid Harle if he is convicted.
What happened to the police chief’s case? Along with Gonzales, prosecutors also charged former Uvalde schools Police Chief Pete Arredondo, who was the scene commander during the Robb shooting. His case has been indefinitely delayed due to a pending civil lawsuit involving the tactical unit that ultimately breached the classroom and killed the shooter.
Why is the trial in Corpus Christi? Judge Sid Harle began overseeing the case after a local judge in Uvalde recused themselves from the matter.
Taking place 200 miles from Uvalde, the trial is being held in a Corpus Christi courtroom after Gonzales’ attorneys successfully argued he would be unable to have a fair trial in the county where the shooting took place.
Who is in the jury? While emotions flared during jury selection — with some now-disqualified jurors vocally criticizing the police response to cheers from other jurors — Harle was able to seat a jury in less than a day.
The jury and alternates included 11 women and five men, though one of the male jurors was excused last week due to a family emergency.
Are there any comparable cases? According to Phil Stinson — a professor at Bowling Green State University in Ohio who maintains a database of police officers who have been arrested — the case against Gonzales is uncommon but not unprecedented.
Prosecutors in Florida attempted to similarly charge a law enforcement officer for his response to the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Seventeen were killed when a gunman opened fire that day, Feb. 14, 2018, in Parkland.
A jury in 2023 acquitted Scot Peterson, a former Broward County sheriff’s deputy, after he was charged with child neglect and culpable negligence for his alleged inaction following the shooting.
How did prosecutors approach the case? Prosecutors called three dozen witnesses — including investigators, teachers, and the families of victims — over nine days of testimony to argue that Gonzales missed a critical opportunity to stop the shooter before he entered Robb Elementary. They allege he was one of the first to respond to the shooter, was explicitly told the location of the gunman before he entered the school but failed to act.
“I told him that he needed to get stopped before he went into the fourth-grade building. We needed to stop him,” teaching aide Melodye Flores testified.
“And what did he say?” prosecutor Bill Turner asked.
“He, just, nothing,” Flores said.
According to a Texas Ranger who testified for prosecutors, Gonzales had more than a minute to stop the shooter before he entered the school, and the gunman was able to fire more than a hundred rounds during a two-minute period while Gonzales was standing outside Robb Elementary.
How did defense lawyers approach the case? Defense lawyers spent less than three hours on Tuesday calling two witnesses before resting their case. Gonzales declined to testify in his own defense.
His lawyers have argued that Gonzales not only followed his training that day but also highlighted that other officers had similar — if not better — opportunities to stop the shooter.
They accused prosecutors of “Monday-morning quarterbacking” Gonzales’ actions that day and argued he acted appropriately based on the limited information he had in the moment. They also highlighted that Gonzales attempted to enter the building with other officers but was directed by his commanding officer to retreat to call in for SWAT support.
(WASHINGTON) — A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent was charged with assault for allegedly pointing a gun at the heads of two motorists in Minneapolis in February, the Hennepin County Attorney’s office said Thursday.
According to the prosecutor’s complaint, Gregory Morgan Jr., an ICE agent in Minneapolis, was ending his shift on Feb. 5 and was a driving back to the Whipple Federal Building when a person allegedly cut him off as Morgan was trying to pass them, and the agent then allegedly brandished a firearm at them.
Morgan, of Temple Hills, Maryland, is charged with two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon and a warrant has been issued nationwide for his arrest. Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarity said in a news conference Thursday that Morgan has not been taken into custody but hopes he’ll turn himself in.
The Department of Homeland Security has not responded to ABC News’ request for comment.
The incident occurred during a contentious period in Minneapolis when the city was the focal point of an immigration enforcement surge and after the killings of Alex Pretti and Renee Good by federal law enforcement. During that time questions arose about whether ICE agents could be prosecuted by state or local authorities.
Moriarity said Thursday that Morgan was driving “illegally” on the shoulder, “appearing to bypass shoulder traffic.”
The complainant told police that they did not know the person driving the other car was an ICE agent until investigators told them, according to the prosecutor’s complaint.
“There were no markings on Defendant’s vehicle that would identify it as law enforcement and the vehicle was not displaying or using lights or sirens,” according to the complaint. “Defendant continued to travel on the shoulder but rather than continue to drive past the victims, he pulled alongside their vehicle, rolled down his window, and pointed a black handgun directly at Victim 1 and Victim 2. Victim 1 had a clear view of Defendant’s appearance, saw that Defendant was wearing a black t-shirt, saw that the gun was pointed directly at their heads, saw that the gun was a Glock or Sig Sauer handgun with what appeared to be a red-dot sight, and noted that Defendant 2 yelled something indiscernible.”
That is when they called police to report what had happened, the complaint said.
Investigators interviewed Morgan, his supervisor and his partner a day later.
According to the prosecutor’s complaint:
“[Morgan] stated that Victim 1 swerved over in front of him and cut him off. Defendant claimed that he feared for his safety and the safety of others so, in response, he pulled alongside Victim 1’s vehicle, rolled down his window, drew his firearm, and yelled ‘Police Stop.’ [Morgan] stated he was trying to get Victim 1 to ‘back up.’ Defendant acknowledged that his firearm was a Glock 19 with a laser light, which Defendant had holstered on his right hip at the time of the interview. Defendant stated that after he pulled the gun on Victim 1 and Victim 2 he got in front of their vehicle and drove to the Whipple Building.”
Investigators also said they received cellphone footage from the complainant and reviewed traffic camera footage from the road on which they were traveling.
Police vehicles are seen outside of Chief J. Thomas Manger Public Safety Headquarters where Montgomery County Police Department 1st District is based in Gaithersburg, MD on September 02, 2022. (Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
(POTOMAC, Md.)– Investigators in Maryland have released a video of a person wanted in connection with the murder of an 87-year-old man known for his philanthropy and are asking for the public’s help in identifying the suspect whose face does not appear.
Robert Fuller Jr., 87, was found in his apartment at a senior living facility in Potomac, Maryland, on Feb. 14. He died of a gunshot wound to the head, according to the Montgomery County Police Department.
Fire and rescue responded to the Cogir of Potomac senior living facility at around 7:30 a.m. Fuller was found unresponsive in his apartment. Life saving measures were attempted, but he was pronounced dead at the scene, according to police.
Major crimes investigators were notified after responders saw trauma to the head. Investigators determined he was murdered, according to police.
Investigators were able to obtain the surveillance video showing a person on the senior living facility property around the time of the murder. The individual is a suspect in the murder, according to police.
Authorities have not been able to identify the suspect’s gender or race, saying the person shown in the video could be male or female, according to authorities.
“Investigators are asking anyone who recognizes the clothing worn by the individual, or who can identify any distinguishing characteristics, including the person’s gait, to call the Major Crimes Division at 240-773- 5070 or Crime Solvers of Montgomery County,” authorities said in a statement.
Fuller was known for his philanthropy after he donated $1.64 million to upgrade a high school’s athletic field in Maine, according to ABC affiliate WMTW in Portland, Maine.
