stephanie
11-02-2007, 11:38 AM
Wt?
By BECKY W. EVANS
Standard-Times staff writer
November 02, 2007 6:00 AM
NEW BEDFORD — After his second deportation to Guatemala, Ricardo Gomez Garcia made yet another perilous journey across the U.S. border to reunite with his wife and autistic son following their six-month separation.
Within 24 hours of arriving home to his city apartment, the 40-year-old illegal immigrant died at St. Luke's Hospital.
His widow is questioning whether his death is related to inadequate medical treatment he received at an El Paso, Texas, detention center, where he was held for six months after being arrested in the March 6 federal immigration raid at the Michael Bianco factory.
"His needs were not looked after in El Paso," said Juana, his wife of 20 years.
(The Standard-Times is using a pseudonym for Mr. Garcia's wife to protect the undocumented worker from possible repercussions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Juana, a Mayan woman from Guatemala, spoke to a reporter in Spanish through an interpreter.)
ICE removed Mr. Garcia from the country on Aug. 30, agency spokesman Mike Gilhooly said.
After visiting with family members in Guatemala, Mr. Garcia hired a "coyote," or local guide, for $5,000 and began his trip north on Oct. 10, Juana said.
He arrived in this city early Sunday morning and was greeted by Juana and the couple's 4-year-old son, Mauricio. The child is a U.S. citizen who has been diagnosed with autism.
"He was very, very happy to see his son and play with him," Juana said.
The 36-year-old said her husband developed a fever that evening and complained of a headache and sore throat.
"He just seemed so tired," she said.
When his condition worsened, family members called an ambulance. Mr. Garcia died in the St. Luke's emergency room around 3 a.m. Monday, Juana said.
Terrel Harris, spokesman for the state Executive Office of Public Safety, said an autopsy showed the cause of Mr. Garcia's death was "acute airway obstruction" and the manner was "natural."
Juana said she believes her husband's death may be tied to health problems he developed while living at the El Paso detention center.
read the rest and some comments...
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070809/NEWS/708090352
By BECKY W. EVANS
Standard-Times staff writer
November 02, 2007 6:00 AM
NEW BEDFORD — After his second deportation to Guatemala, Ricardo Gomez Garcia made yet another perilous journey across the U.S. border to reunite with his wife and autistic son following their six-month separation.
Within 24 hours of arriving home to his city apartment, the 40-year-old illegal immigrant died at St. Luke's Hospital.
His widow is questioning whether his death is related to inadequate medical treatment he received at an El Paso, Texas, detention center, where he was held for six months after being arrested in the March 6 federal immigration raid at the Michael Bianco factory.
"His needs were not looked after in El Paso," said Juana, his wife of 20 years.
(The Standard-Times is using a pseudonym for Mr. Garcia's wife to protect the undocumented worker from possible repercussions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. Juana, a Mayan woman from Guatemala, spoke to a reporter in Spanish through an interpreter.)
ICE removed Mr. Garcia from the country on Aug. 30, agency spokesman Mike Gilhooly said.
After visiting with family members in Guatemala, Mr. Garcia hired a "coyote," or local guide, for $5,000 and began his trip north on Oct. 10, Juana said.
He arrived in this city early Sunday morning and was greeted by Juana and the couple's 4-year-old son, Mauricio. The child is a U.S. citizen who has been diagnosed with autism.
"He was very, very happy to see his son and play with him," Juana said.
The 36-year-old said her husband developed a fever that evening and complained of a headache and sore throat.
"He just seemed so tired," she said.
When his condition worsened, family members called an ambulance. Mr. Garcia died in the St. Luke's emergency room around 3 a.m. Monday, Juana said.
Terrel Harris, spokesman for the state Executive Office of Public Safety, said an autopsy showed the cause of Mr. Garcia's death was "acute airway obstruction" and the manner was "natural."
Juana said she believes her husband's death may be tied to health problems he developed while living at the El Paso detention center.
read the rest and some comments...
http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070809/NEWS/708090352