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August 09, 2007
Pregnant woman dies at ICE detention center in El Paso
Pregnant woman dies at ICE detention center in El Paso
Associated Press
EL PASO — A pregnant woman in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement died after complaining of leg pain and losing consciousness, the agency said.
Rosa Contreras Dominguez, 38, was taken to an El Paso medical center Tuesday night when nurses noticed she was losing consciousness, said Leticia Zamarripa, a spokeswoman for the agency. She died about 3 1/2 hours after first complaining about pain behind her left knee, Zamarripa said.
Dominguez, a legal U.S. resident, arrived at the ICE detention center on Aug. 1 to begin deportation proceedings stemming from her conviction for importing 65 pounds of marijuana into the country, Zamarripa said.
Dominguez, who had already served an 18-month sentence in federal prison for the drug conviction, was given a medical exam when she arrived at the detention center and received constant medical attention for her pregnancy, Zamarripa said. Dominguez was taking prenatal medication.
"It's unfortunate, but as you can see, she was given proper medical attention when she requested it as well as when she was under observation," Zamarripa said.
Lizbeth Morales, Dominguez's niece, said Dominguez had been complaining about the pain in her leg since she was first detained. The family expected to receive an autopsy report today, Morales said.
The family feels that Dominguez, the mother of five children, didn't receive proper medical treatment while in custody, Morales said.
"They're still human beings, and they should be treated fairly," Morales said.
Posted by lois at August 9, 2007 06:55 PM