Cambodian national dies in ICE custody

Cambodian national dies in ICE custody

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A Cambodian-born detainee died in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Indiana, US, on Monday, with the cause of death under investigation, ICE said on Wednesday.

Lorth Sim, a 59-year-old convicted felon from Cambodia, died in ICE custody at the Miami Correctional Facility in Miami County.

Sim entered the United States as a refugee in 1983 and became a lawful permanent resident in 1986.

Staff found him unresponsive in his cell, and he was pronounced dead at 7:10am, despite lifesaving efforts by facility staff and EMS. The cause of death is under investigation.

Sim was arrested for disorderly conduct in 1989, indecent exposure in 1996, and larceny in 2005, receiving a suspended sentence and probation but no prison time.

In 2006, ICE arrested him, and an immigration judge ordered his removal to Cambodia.

On December 30, last year, ICE officers encountered Sim at the ICE office lobby in Boston, informing him he was under arrest and would be detained in ICE custody pursuant to a warrant of removal.

On January 5, ICE Boston transferred him to ICE Chicago custody.

ICE notified the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, ICE’s Office of Professional Responsibility, and the Cambodian consulate about Sim’s death, as required by agency policy.

-Khmer Times-