Indian national awaiting deportation dies in US hospital

Washington: An Indian national awaiting deportation because of his illegal entry into the United States has died at a hospital in Atlanta, federal authorities said Wednesday.

The Indian Consulate in New York has been notified about the death of Jaspal Singh, 57, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said, adding that his next of kin have also been notified about it.

Singh died at a hospital in Atlanta on April 15. An autopsy is pending to determine the official cause of death, ICE said.

Singh, an Indian citizen, first entered the US legally on October 25, 1992. On January 21, 1998, an immigration judge ordered Singh’s removal from the US, and on an unknown date, Singh returned to India voluntarily.

On June 29, 2023, he was arrested by US Customs and Border Protection’s Border Patrol officers while illegally reentering the United States at the US-Mexico Border.

Border Patrol transferred custody of Singh to Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO), Atlanta. He was detained at a federal processing centre in Atlanta where he continued his immigration proceedings.

When a non-citizen dies at a detention centre, it is mandatory for the ERO to make notifications to Congress, nongovernmental organisation stakeholders and the media and posts a news release with relevant details on its public website within two business days.