Crime & Safety
ICE Detainee Dies At RivCo Hospital After Multiple Transfers For Chest Pain
He was one of four detainees to die in U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement's custody this year, according to the agency's website.
INDIO, CA — A 68-year-old undocumented immigrant from Honduras in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody has died at John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Indio, the agency said.
Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz died of heart-related issues at 1:18 a.m. on Jan. 6 at 47111 Monroe Street, ICE said in a news release Friday.
On Jan. 4, Yanez-Cruz, who was held at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility in Calexico, was transferred to the facility's medical unit to be evaluated for chest pain.
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He was later taken to El Centro Regional Medical Center and then to the Indio facility via helicopter for a higher level of care, authorities said.
He was arrested on Nov. 16, 2025 during an ICE targeted enforcement operation in Newark, New Jersey. He was previously arrested in 1993 in Texas on suspicion of illegal entry, and re-entered the country at an unknown date without authorization, officials said.
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Yanez-Cruz was being held in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
As of Monday, Yanez-Cruz was one of four detainees to die in ICE custody this year, according to the agency's website.
