An autopsy has confirmed that a Haitian man detained at an immigrant detention facility in Arizona died as a result of an untreated tooth infection.
According to The Associated Press, the Maricopa County Medical Examiner's Office in Arizona concluded in an autopsy report released this past May that 56-year-old Emmanuel Damas died from complications of a chest infection with abscesses in his neck and throat, and the cause of death also cited severe dental problems. Damas had been held at the Central Arizona Florence Correctional Center, a privately run detention facility in Florence, Arizona, before he died in March at a hospital in Scottsdale.
What the Medical Examiner Confirmed
According to the report, Damas was recommended at a dental appointment last October to have a problematic tooth extracted. Three months later, when his turn for the extraction came, he declined, saying it no longer hurt, and at a follow-up appointment in mid-February he again declined a recommendation to have teeth removed. Days later, when he complained of pain in his throat and abdomen, facility staff urged him to go to the medical unit, but he refused, according to the report. He was taken to a hospital on February 19 for respiratory failure, later transferred to a higher-level hospital, and died on March 2.
What the Family Says Happened Differently
Raymond Audain, a lawyer representing Damas's family, said in a statement that the county's autopsy "confirms what Mr. Damas's family has determined through its own investigation: that Mr. Damas died of sepsis as a result of a descending infection from his head and neck that started with him experiencing tooth pain. Mr. Damas begged prison staff for medical care on numerous occasions including the night before he was hospitalized, but he was ignored." This account differs from the picture drawn in the medical examiner's report. CoreCivic, the private corrections company that operates the facility, said it could not disclose the specifics of his medical care due to federal privacy laws, but that it provides appropriate and timely medical care to all detainees. ICE did not respond to AP's request for comment.
The Only Case Where Dental Problems Were Listed as a Cause of Death
Damas is one of 51 people who have died in ICE custody since President Trump's second term began in January of last year. Among the 36 cases in which a cause of death has been made public, AP found that Damas is the only one in which dental problems were listed as a cause of, or contributing factor in, death. Most of the deaths were ruled to be from natural causes, but experts have said many of them could have been prevented with timely, appropriate care, according to AP.
In Korea as well, the path by which migrant workers without health insurance let dental problems worsen while putting off treatment has not been fully closed. The Seoul Metropolitan Government's medical support program for foreign workers covers up to 90% of hospitalization and surgery costs for foreign workers and their families, marriage migrants, refugees, and others who are ineligible for health insurance benefits. However, because the support is limited to hospitalization and surgery, outpatient dental care that ends with a procedure like an extraction falls outside its scope.
In the end, Damas's case shows both the extreme outcome that can follow from leaving a single toothache untreated, and the fact that outpatient dental care remains a blind spot in support for those left outside the insurance system.