There are a lot of unknowns right now in the death of a North Texas man inside a South Texas immigration detention facility.
FOX 4’s Vania Castillo sat down with that area’s congressman to try and get some answers.
Dallas man dies at South Texas detention center
What we know:
56-year-old Emiliano Andrade Covarrubias died inside the Rio Grande processing center in Laredo.
Emiliano Andrade Covarrubias
According to the Department of Homeland Security Andrade Covarrubias was found unresponsive in his bed on Saturday morning. He had diabetes, high blood pressure, and a heart condition.
The cause of death is still unknown with an autopsy pending.
Family disputes DHS claims
What they’re saying:
His family says he lived in Dallas for decades and was a lawful permanent resident.
DHS says they detained Andrade Covarrubias at the Laredo point of entry in June for allegedly failing to disclose a theft arrest from 2004 when he was applying for his immigration status.
DHS did not say whether he was ever convicted. DHS also claimed he was awaiting a removal proceeding from an immigration judge and called it due process.
They also claim he received proper medical care. But in a GoFundMe post, his family disputes that.
Rep. Henry Cuellar demands records and surveillance video
Local perspective:
Democratic congressman Henry Cuellar, who represents Laredo, toured the facility on Sunday.
“But the question is that they do it in this case. Now I do have a couple audios from people that said that he was asking for medicine and that he was not given the medicine. So again, there’s, you know, one side has one story. The other person has another story,” said Cuellar.
“I can’t make any promises, but I did talk to the wife a few minutes ago, and I told her that I would do everything I can as a member of Congress in the Homeland Appropriations to get her the transparency and the questions that she has.”
Cuellar says he saw doctors, nurses, and medical equipment but hasn’t been able to verify what kind of treatment Andrade Covarrubias actually received. He also says that he’s requested surveillance video and medical records.
What’s next:
FOX 4 did reach out to the geo group which runs the detention facility for more answers but were told to reach out to DHS.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by FOX 4’s Vania Castillo.