A 48-year-old Pakistani national with a criminal record died on December 6 at Texas Health Huguley Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas. The individual, identified as Shiraz Fatehali Sachwani, had previously been arrested for aggravated robbery and felony drug possession.
Sachwani was admitted to the hospital on November 28 due to low oxygen levels and tachycardia. He had a history of chronic kidney, liver, and respiratory issues. A local physician pronounced him dead at 7:08 p.m.
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Sachwani entered the United States on November 30, 1996, as a nonimmigrant visitor but did not leave by his required departure date of May 30, 1997. He avoided immigration authorities for nearly twenty years until his arrest by U.S. Border Patrol in Pembina, North Dakota, on March 12, 2017. After being transferred to ICE custody, a Justice Department immigration judge ordered his release on August 1, 2017. Sachwani then absconded from immigration proceedings and was ordered removed from the country in absentia on July 1, 2019.
On June 27 of this year, ICE encountered Sachwani at Euless City Jail following an arrest on local charges and lodged an immigration detainer with the Euless Police Department. He was transferred into ICE custody the next day and taken to Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas.
ICE reported that its in-custody deaths over the past year average less than one percent—stating this is the lowest rate in agency history. "While greatly expanding detention capacity thanks to the leadership of President Donald J. Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, ICE has maintained its high-quality care including medical, mental, and dental care for illegal aliens. This is the best healthcare many aliens have received in their entire lives," according to an official statement.
The agency said it remains committed to providing safe environments for those in custody: "ICE remains committed to ensuring that all those in its custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments. Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay." The statement continued: "All illegal aliens in ICE custody receive medical, dental and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility; a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arrival at a facility; access to medical appointments, and 24-hour emergency care. At no time during ICE detention is an alien denied emergent care."
As per agency policy following an in-custody death, ICE notified the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility, and the Pakistani consulate about Sachwani’s death.
Official notifications were also made to Congress and nongovernmental organization stakeholders after confirmation of death. In line with policy requirements described by Congress through appropriations legislation since fiscal year 2018 (https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/house-bill/3355/text), ICE publishes reports regarding any detainee death within ninety days on its public website (https://www.ice.gov/detain/detainee-death-reporting).
