Nassau County officials said a man detained by ICE in the Nassau County jail was found dead Thursday morning.
Police said the man was “observed in his cell unresponsive” and “not breathing” at 6:30 a.m. Thursday morning, Sept. 18.
He was pronounced dead by a police medic.
Nassau County Sheriff Anthony Larocco said an investigation is underway, and the state attorney general is conducting a preliminary assessment of the man’s death.
“There is an ongoing investigation which will be thorough and transparent to determine the cause of death,” Larocco said. “Nassau County takes seriously its obligation to treat every prisoner humanely.”
Officials declined to share additional information about the 42-year-old man, including why he was detained and where he was from. ICE did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
This marks the first death of an ICE detainee at the county’s jail.
Under an agreement with ICE, Nassau County has held over 1,400 detainees in the East Meadow Jail. County Executive Bruce Blakeman has said the federal government pays the county $195 per detainee per night they are held.
The 42-year-old man’s death comes after state lawmakers toured the facility in July and raised concerns that some detainees, including those with no criminal records, may be held for longer than the 72-hour legal holding period.
At that time, Blakeman said he was not aware of that happening, though the lawmakers had spoken with detainees in the jail who seemed to fit that profile. He said he would “look into” the concerns, but has not commented on the matter since.
The county shows no signs of ending or altering its agreement with ICE.
