A Man Died of a Toothache. In Government Custody. In 2025.

Emmanuel Cleeford Damas complained of a toothache in mid-February. He was given ibuprofen. He was NOT sent to a dentist.

On February 19, he collapsed. He was rushed to a hospital in Scottsdale. He was placed on a ventilator. He never came off it.

Damas died March 2. He was 56 years old.

What the Medical Examiner Found

The Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed the cause of death: "Complications of necrotizing mediastinitis with neck and retropharyngeal abscess in the setting of severe dental caries and periodontal disease."

Translation: A tooth infection spread to his throat, then to his chest cavity. Necrotizing mediastinitis is a rare, catastrophic infection — but it doesn't start catastrophic. It starts as a toothache.

The autopsy findings were first reported by the Arizona Mirror and confirmed by the Tucson Sentinel.

Who Was Emmanuel Damas?

Damas came to the United States in February 2024 under a Biden-era humanitarian program. His family was in the process of appealing a denied asylum claim, according to ABC15.

He was a handyman from Haiti, a father of two. His youngest child still doesn't know his father is dead, according to his brother Presly Nelson.

Damas was arrested in Buffalo, New York on assault and battery charges and transferred to ICE custody in September 2024. He was held at the Florence Correctional Center — a private facility in central Arizona operated by CoreCivic, a for-profit prison company.

The Family's Account vs. ICE's Account

ICE's own death report states Damas "received regular medical and dental evaluations" and that he "declined recommendations for tooth extractions," according to Reason.

His brother Presly Nelson tells a different story. Nelson told ABC15 that Damas reported his toothache to medical staff in mid-February and was given only ibuprofen — NOT referred to a dentist. Nelson says staff did not take the complaint seriously.

Arizona Family reported Nelson's belief that "the staff at the facility did not take his brother's complaints seriously, even though it was a treatable condition."

Here's the timeline that matters: Damas' family says his detention was set to expire on February 19 — the exact date he collapsed and was rushed to the hospital.

Nelson said somebody dropped the ball.

CoreCivic Runs This Facility. That Matters.

The Florence Correctional Center is NOT a government-run facility. It is owned and operated by CoreCivic, a private, for-profit prison corporation under contract with ICE.

When a man dies of a preventable infection inside a profit-driven detention center, the accountability question doesn't stop at ICE. It runs straight through CoreCivic's management, its medical contractors, and the federal contract that pays them.

Taxpayers fund this. CoreCivic profits from it. And Emmanuel Damas is dead.

One Death Among 52

Damas is one of 52 people who have died in ICE custody since January 2025, according to the Haitian Times. Eighteen of those deaths happened just this year.

Advocates warn that if this pace continues, 2026 will be the deadliest year for immigration detainees on record.

This isn't the only suspicious death in the system right now. Reason reported that Geraldo Lunas Campos, detained at Camp East Montana in Texas, died January 3. ICE initially called it a suicide. The El Paso Medical Examiner ruled it a homicide by asphyxiation. Multiple detainee witnesses told news outlets guards choked Lunas Campos to death after he kept asking for his medication.

Those are two very different official stories. Both involve people dying in government custody. Both deserve answers.

What Congress Is Saying

Rep. Adelita Grijalva released a statement calling Damas' death a "preventable tragedy" and demanding answers about why medical requests were ignored. Grijalva told the Haitian Times: "A toothache should never escalate into a fatal medical emergency, especially while someone is in government custody and entirely dependent on detention staff for access to care."

Grijalva and colleagues formally requested Damas' medical records in March. As of publication, those records have NOT been turned over.

What Mainstream Coverage Is Getting Wrong

Damas entered the country under a Biden-era program. The detention system's structural failures — understaffing, private contractor negligence, inadequate medical oversight — predate the current administration by years. This is a government accountability story.

At the same time, outlets sympathetic to the administration are largely ignoring it. 52 deaths in under six months deserves attention.

The facts don't care about the politics. A man asked for dental care. He got ibuprofen. He died.

What Happens Next

Emmanuel Damas was in government custody. The government — through its contractor CoreCivic — was responsible for his health. He reported a medical problem. It was ignored. He died of a completely treatable condition.

ICE and CoreCivic owe the public a full accounting of what happened inside that Florence facility between mid-February and February 19. Not a press statement. A full accounting.

If the government can't keep detainees alive from a toothache, that represents a failure of basic duty of care — regardless of immigration policy, regardless of party, regardless of what Damas was charged with.