Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2007. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
United Press International - August 11, 2007
Victor Arrelano's death last month underscores the medical neglect facing nearly 30,000 undocumented immigrants in custody nationwide, the Los Angeles Times reported Saturday.
Arrelano, 23, a Mexican national who used the name Victoria, had been in detention since May awaiting a hearing on whether she would be returned to Mexico, said her attorney, Roman Silberfeld.
Arrelano deteriorated to the point where fellow detainees saw her vomiting blood and were left to clean it up themselves, the newspaper reported. When she became critical, Arrelano was transferred to a San Pedro hospital and died several days later shackled to her bed, said her attorneys, who have filed a wrongful death claim against the U.S. government.
"What happened here is simply an outrage," Silberfeld said, noting "relatively simple meds, if available and properly administered, would have avoided this tragedy."
Immigration officials said they could not comment on Arrelano's case but defended the overall medical care given detainees in U.S. custody.
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