ADELANTO – The parents of a man who died of sepsis while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody filed a federal lawsuit on December 31 against The GEO Group, the operator of the Adelanto detention center.
Ismael Ayala-Uribe, 39, of Westminster, died Sept. 22 at Victor Valley Global Medical Center in Victorville.
Filed in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, the lawsuit names The GEO Group Inc. and Wellpath LLC, the private company that provides medical care to detainees.
The suit alleges wrongful death, deliberate indifference to medical needs, unconstitutional conditions of confinement, and negligence.
“Requests for medical care ignored”
Ayala-Uribe had been in custody at the Adelanto ICE Processing Center for 37 days before being transferred to the hospital, where he died.
According to the lawsuit, federal agents arrested Ayala-Uribe, a Mexican citizen, on Aug. 17 at a car wash where he worked in Fountain Valley.
An ICE detainee death report shows Ayala-Uribe had prior DUI convictions in Orange County in 2015 and 2019. He was approved for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) protection in 2012, but his request to renew that status was denied in 2016.
ICE detained him at the Adelanto facility, where he fell ill.
According to the lawsuit, Ayala-Uribe experienced “intense and progressive physical pain” for weeks, including abdominal pain, severe buttock pain, fever, chills, weakness and internal bleeding.
However, his repeated requests for medical care were ignored.
On Sept. 18, Ayala-Uribe submitted a written request for medical assistance. On-call medical providers employed by The GEO Group evaluated him.
The lawsuit says the assessment was cursory, and he was returned to his cell with over-the-counter pain medication and no diagnostic testing.
“He kept over and over asking for help, being deliberately ignored by the defendants,” the lawsuit states.
Ayala-Uribe arrived at hospital with “life-threatening” symptoms
On Sept. 21, Ayala-Uribe again sought medical care, telling staff he “felt very bad” and had been in pain for more than two weeks. He was taken to a hospital, where he arrived with life-threatening symptoms, including high blood pressure and a rapid heart rate, according to the complaint.
Ayala-Uribe was pronounced dead at about 2:32 a.m. on Sept. 22. The lawsuit alleges he died from a serious infection that progressed to sepsis due to a lack of proper medical treatment while detained.
ICE’s death report states that during intake screening, Ayala-Uribe denied having chronic medical conditions or taking medications. It says his initial exam was normal except for elevated blood pressure.
The Adelanto ICE Processing Center has been repeatedly criticized for inadequate medical care, delayed emergency responses and systemic neglect, according to the lawsuit.
Ayala-Uribe was the 15th person to die in ICE custody in 2025.
 custody filed a federal lawsuit on December 31 against The GEO Group, the operator of the Adelanto detention center.){kind=link}