The latest death of a Mexican national while in ICE custody has prompted authorities in Mexico to demand answers about conditions inside a Southern California immigration detention center, Mexican consulate officials said Monday at a news conference.
Jose Guadalupe Ramos-Solano, a 52-year-old father and Los Angeles resident, died Wednesday, March 25 after being found unconscious and unresponsive inside the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, ICE officials stated in a news release. He reportedly is the 14th Mexican national to die while in U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody since President Donald Trump began his second term.
Vanessa Calva Ruiz, director general for consular protection and strategic planning, said Ramos-Solano’s death “is not an isolated case, but rather a reflection of an alarming unacceptable trend.”
“We consider that these deaths reveal systemic failures, operational deficiencies, and possible negligence counter to the United States own protocols and regulations as well as international human rights standards.”
Staff at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center found Ramos-Solano unconscious and immediately initiated life-saving procedures, according to ICE, but he died after being taken to the Victor Valley Global Medical Center.
But detainees inside the Adelanto facility who called the Immigrant Defenders rapid response hotline alleged that medical staff didn’t respond until after Ramos-Solano was unresponsive and that he died inside the immigration detention facility, said an Immigrant Defenders spokesperson.
Jesús Eduardo Arias, a lawyer representing the Ramos-Solano family, said that an independent investigation into Ramos-Solano’s death will be underway to determine his cause of death.
“What happened to my dad was very inhumane,” said Ramos-Solano’s daughter, Gloria Ramos. “I think my family and I just want to know the truth of what happened to my dad. I want justice for my dad. I want justice for all the families out there who are suffering and who have gone through our same situation.”
In the news release, ICE said that Ramos-Solano was arrested on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance and theft of personal property on May 6, 2025 and that he was subsequently convicted of an unspecified crime in a Los Angeles court on Aug. 21, 2025, The Southern California News Group was not able to independently verify the that reported arrest or conviction.
Ramos-Solano lived and worked in the United States for over 28 years and had never been convicted of a crime, said Arias.
“It’s not fair and it’s false and it’s inhuman to speak about a victim and try to characterize that victim as a criminal,” Arias said about ICE’s claims about Ramos’-Solano’s alleged criminal history. “Not only do [they do] it in life, but they double down even when he dies [when] he cannot actually defend himself.”
Ramos-Solano was arrested by federal agents on Feb. 23, 2026 in Torrance, CA and was later taken to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center. The immigration detention center is owned and operated by Florida-based private-prison company GEO Group.
Carlos González Gutiérrez, the Mexican consul general in Los Angeles, expressed concerns over the federal government’s outsourcing of immigration detention to private companies.
“They are responsible for meeting the medical needs and adequate food requirements of each individual under their custody,” Gutiérrez said.
ICE claims Ramos-Solano received “a complete health and physical evaluation during his intake screening [on] Feb. 24,” and added that he had several pre-existing health conditions, such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension. “He received constant medical care while he was in custody, including daily medication to treat his illness,” the ICE news release stated.
Ramos-Solano is the 14th person to die in ICE custody in 2026, reflecting a sharp jump compared to recent years. In 2025, 33 people died in ICE custody, according to ICE data, 11 in 2024, seven in 2023, three in 2022, and five in 2021.
He is also the fourth person to die after being detained inside the Adelanto immigration detention center within the last year.
In January, an LA non-profit and four people detained inside the Adelanto ICE Processing Center filed a proposed federal class-action lawsuit against federal officials and agencies alleging inhumane conditions inside one of California’s largest ICE detention centers.
The government of Mexico plans to file an amicus brief in support of the lawsuit.
“The government of Mexico will exhaust all legal, diplomatic, and multilateral avenues to demand justice, support the families, and ensure accountability and not recurrence of these situations. The protection of dignity of Mexicans abroad is and will continue to be an absolute priority for Mexico,” Ruiz said.