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Outside View: Pass Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act for greater transparency

Sat., May 4, 2024

Seattle Times editorial board

The death of Charles Leo Daniel at the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, Washington, piqued the interest of immigrant rights advocates and some members of Washington’s congressional delegation. The mystery surrounding his death and the fact that he was housed in solitary confinement for most of the time he was incarcerated is cause for concern.

Nearly two months after his death, how he died has still yet to be made public by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement or the Pierce County medical examiner. ICE issued a report that detailed its version of Daniel’s time in federal custody and the immediate time leading up to his death. But one detail ICE officials omitted was the cause of death. Similar reports from ICE on previous deaths of detainees have causes of deaths, but not all of them. The Pierce County medical examiner’s website still lists Daniel’s cause of death as pending.

That’s why Congress should pass the Dignity for Detained Immigrants Act. A greater level of transparency is needed and the bill would do just that.

Should the bill eventually pass, it would require that the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security conduct an investigation into such deaths no later than 30 days after the death of an immigrant in the custody of ICE. The report would include a root cause analysis that identifies any changes to policies, practices, training curricula, staffing, or potential systemwide errors that may reduce the probability of such an event in the future.

The law would also require ICE to report whether the death of a detainee may have resulted from a health problem that existed before or during, or was exacerbated by, the detention.

Daniel, from the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, entered the U.S. through Miami on a visitor’s visa in July 2000. He was convicted of second degree murder in King County in October 2003 and was incarcerated at the Washington Corrections Center in Shelton. He was held in solitary confinement for nearly 10 years in state prisons and for four years at the detention center.

Despite his criminal history, any death of a detainee deserves public scrutiny and laws to protect those who remain in custody.