Mexican national dies in ICE custody; 10th since October

March 24 (UPI) -- Another Mexican national has died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody at the Port Isabel Detention Center in Los Fresnos, Texas, officials said.

Ramiro Hernandez-Ibarra, 42, was hospitalized last week and died at the Valley Baptists Medical Center in Harlingen, near Brownsville, the agency said Monday. Officials said Hernandez-Ibarra died of complications from septic shock.

Hernandez-Ibarra is the 10th detainee to die in ICE custody since the beginning of the government's fiscal year in October.

"ICE is firmly committed to the health and welfare of all those in its custody and is undertaking a comprehensive agency-wide review of this incident, as it does in all such cases," the agency said in a statement. "Fatalities in ICE custody, statistically, are exceedingly rare and occur at a fraction of the national average for the U.S. detained population."

Hernandez-Ibarra, who was awaiting removal proceedings when he died, was taken into custody on Jan. 15 after he served time in the Hidalgo County Jail in Edinburg for a domestic violence conviction. Records show he'd been deported eight other times since 1999. He also had previous records for domestic assault and driving under the influence, ICE said.

A House subcommittee said in December was investigating migrants' medical care in custody after accusations of negligence, abuse, injury and death at detention centers.