With ICE carrying out deportations in full-swing, reports about the horrors of detention centers are increasingly coming to light.
In yet another tragic incident involving an immigrant, a Guatemalan woman was expelled from the country while her husband battled for his life in the custody of ICE in El Paso.
The man, 48-year-old Francisco Gaspar-Andrés, eventually died while undergoing treatment at a hospital on December 3, 2025.
By that time, his wife, Lucía Pedro Juan, had already been deported to their native country. According to The Guardian, she did not even get a chance to meet her dying husband.
Gaspar-Andrés and Pedro Juan had been married for 25 years. The couple had illegally entered the US over 18 years ago and settled near Homestead, Florida.
They had five children and lived happily while running a small plant nursery. However, everything changed on Labor Day in September 2025 when an ICE agent detained them while they were on their way to buy groceries.
Today I received FOUR death notifications for people in ICE custody. That’s 30 deaths since Trump took office. It’s appalling & unacceptable.
ICE is required—by law—to ensure detainees are safe & their basic needs are met. It’s clear this isn’t the case. We NEED answers.
— Senator Patty Murray (@PattyMurray) December 18, 2025
The husband and wife were separated soon after their arrest, and they never got to see each other again. Gaspar-Andrés was being detained at the Fort Bliss army base, where he faced severe health issues.
He was sent to a hospital in November after struggling with fever, jaundice, and hypertension. His condition worsened over the days, and he eventually passed away, becoming the 25th immigrant to die in ICE custody this year.
The Department of Homeland Security later released a statement revealing that he died of ‘natural causes’ due to ‘liver cirrhosis.’
The statement read, “On December 3, Francisco Gaspar-Andrés died of natural causes related to alcoholic hepatic liver cirrhosis at the Hospitals of Providence East. ICE medical staff ensured he had constant, high-quality medical care.”
Meanwhile, Pedro Juan was kept at Camp East Montana and was deported to Guatemala on November 28. In an interview with the El Paso Times, Pedro Juan revealed that she learnt of her husband’s critical condition from her daughter and repeatedly requested the guards to let her meet Gaspar-Andrés.
But her efforts went in vain, and now she lives with the pain of never being able to see her husband again. Pedro Juan said, “I never saw him again, I never spoke to him or heard his voice again. It’s something terrible they did to us. Yes, it’s something terrible they did to us.”
Concerns grow for detained immigrants as at least 10 have died in ICE custody since January 1st.
This includes deaths from Krome Detention Center where detainees in June formed a human “S.O.S.” sign in the yard. pic.twitter.com/C4mSBdX3Qk
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) July 18, 2025
She also talked about the horrific conditions in which immigrants are kept at detention centers, revealing that she was given spoiled food and had to spend hours without a toilet due to a lack of toilet paper.
All this while, the guards mocked her and viewed immigrants as ‘donkeys.’ Pedro Juan said she chose to get on the deportation plane as she would have otherwise died due to the poor conditions at the center.
Gaspar-Andrés’ death and Pedro Juan’s terrible experience in detention have raised concerns about the inhumane treatment of people at ICE facilities.
Even though the Trump administration claims that these centers are well-maintained, Democrats have argued that the camps lack basic facilities and oppress immigrants.
Veronica Escobar, Representative from El Paso, has time and again criticized the government and vouched for better conditions at detention centers. On December 19, she wrote a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, highlighting the death of Gaspar-Andrés.
Escobar wrote, “I was angered to learn that since my last visit to Camp East Montana, ICE’s negligence has led to the first known death in custody at the facility.”
