Migrant detainee's death at Nassau County jail prompts state, local investigations
Unidentified 42-year-old detainee found unresponsive in East Meadow facility; authorities review jail protocols as counties' ICE partnership faces scrutiny.
An unidentified 42-year-old migrant detainee died early Thursday in the Nassau County jail while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, triggering state and local investigations. The man was found not breathing inside his East Meadow cell and was pronounced dead at the scene by medics, authorities said. It is the first reported death of a migrant detainee in the Nassau jail since the county started housing ICE detainees there earlier this year.
The county's partnership with ICE allocates 50 cells at the East Meadow jail to hold detainees arrested by ICE across New York City and Long Island. In July, officials said Nassau jails had held more than 1,400 migrant detainees for ICE since the February start of the program. Under the agreement, detainees can be held for up to 72 hours before ICE decides whether to deport them or relocate them to a longer-term facility, with the county reimbursed about $195 per detainee per night.
The investigation is being led by Nassau County's Homicide Squad, along with the New York State Attorney General's Office, to determine the cause of death and whether jail protocols were followed. "There is an ongoing investigation which will be thorough and transparent to determine the cause of death," Sheriff Anthony LaRocco said in a statement. "Nassau County takes seriously its obligation to treat every prisoner humanely."
The death has drawn scrutiny of the county's ICE partnership and prompted calls for oversight. Democrat Seth Koslow, a candidate for county executive in November, called the death "a tragedy that demands answers" and said he would press for a legislative hearing to ensure transparency, accountability and justice for all residents, including anyone in our jails.
ICE did not respond Friday to a request for comment regarding the detainee's death. The county's ICE-detention program has drawn scrutiny in recent months as it expanded. Nassau County also recently trained 10 police officers to be deputized as ICE agents, preparing them to assist federal officials if needed in any mass deportation efforts authorized by the Trump administration.
The investigation is ongoing and authorities have not released a cause of death. The case underscores ongoing questions about local enforcement partnerships with federal immigration authorities and the oversight mechanisms supposed to govern them.