Emmanuel Damas Died in ICE Detention from an Untreated Toothache - Help His Family Bring Him Home to Haiti.

The family of 56 year old Emmanuel Damas, who died from medical neglect in ICE custody in AZ, has even more to bear than their profound grief - they have been slammed by extraordinary expenses related to his untimely death.

Emmanuel was a beloved son, brother, and member of the Dorchester community in Boston. He was 56 years old, worked as a mechanic in Haiti, and immigrated to the United States in 2024. Damas was able to come to the U.S. through a special parole program for Haitians (CHNV), and reunited with his brothers and mother after nearly 20 years apart. Although the Trump administration cancelled the CHNV parole program, leaving him without status, he was in the process of seeking asylum.

Damas was held in ICE custody for nearly six months far from family, in Arizona. In February, Damas complained repeatedly of a toothache for which he was only given Advil and Ibuprofen. It was only when he collapsed and fell into a coma that he was taken to a medical facility for treatment. As several days passed, it became clear that Emmanuel would likely not survive. His family had to advocate for him to be unshackled from the hospital bed, before making the difficult decision to take him off life support.

Now the family is coping with the extraordinary costs associated with the loss of a loved one under extreme and cruel circumstances. Emmanuel’s mother feels very strongly that he must be buried in Haiti, a place where he was loved and welcome, instead of this country that rejected him and caused his unnecessary death. They had to hire an independent forensics expert to do an autopsy to prove cause of death, because the public medical examiner’s office would not do a full one themselves. In total, they have a minimum of $65K of expenses they are not able to meet.

List of specific costs provided by the family:

Paying for the independent autopsy
Transporting his body to Boston
Organizing the memorial service in Boston
Shipping his body to Haiti
Organizing the final service in Haiti
Lawyers fees - for now and after

Please donate to help them make it through this painful time and seek justice for Emmanuel.

Support the Family of Emmanuel Damas