ADELANTO, CALIFORNIA — Jose Guadalupe Ramos, 52, died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody on March 25, 2026, at the Adelanto immigration detention center in California. His attorney, Jesus Arias, announced plans for a civil case alleging medical negligence against the GEO Group and ICE. Arias said, "His transport to a hospital was extremely shockingly delayed. He died at the centre, we believe."

ICE records indicate Ramos had diabetes and hypertension when he entered the facility. He took daily medication to manage these conditions before his detention. Arias said, "He had two conditions that many people in the US live with. But even if someone has a normal condition that they need regular care for, such as diabetes, it's at risk at Adelanto because the conditions are shocking."

Immigration agents arrested Ramos in Torrance, California, on February 23, 2026, and he was held at Adelanto for one month prior to his death. An ICE press release states that Ramos was found unresponsive in his bunk on March 25. Staff attempted resuscitation, and he died after being transported to a nearby medical center.

Ramos last communicated with Antonia Tovar at 5:30 p.m. on an afternoon in late March and was pronounced dead at 9:30 p.m. later that day. Tovar stated, "I'm missing my other half. We dreamed of getting old together, taking care of each other, of having our grandchildren." She also said, "They could have saved him. They killed him because, rather than helping him, they didn’t do anything." During his detention, Ramos reportedly informed Tovar that his clothes smelled unwashed and his diet was insufficient, leading his family to send him money for food orders. A lawsuit filed in January reported issues including mold, insufficient medical care, and widespread illness at the Adelanto center. The GEO Group, a Florida-based prison facility operator, runs the Adelanto detention facility.

ICE's website reports 19 in-custody deaths in 2026. At least 32 people died in ICE custody in 2025, a 290 percent increase from the 11 deaths reported in 2024. A database at Syracuse University estimates that more than 405,700 individuals have been booked into ICE detention since January 2025. Sharon Dolovich, a University of California, Los Angeles, law professor who directs the Behind Bars Data Project tracking mortality in immigration detention, projects that the total number of immigration detention deaths in 2026 will exceed the total recorded in 2025. A document indicates ICE intends to maintain 92,600 detention beds by the end of fiscal year 2026 and has contracted with private operators and purchased facilities with capacities of up to 10,000 individuals.