Detroit Rep. Rashida Tlaib is pushing for answers after a 56-year-old immigrant died at the newly reopened North Lake Processing Center in northern Michigan, a facility that has raised concerns about transparency and conditions inside.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) notified members of Congress on Thursday that Nenko Stanev Gantchev, a Bulgarian citizen, died Monday at the detention center. The official cause of death is still under investigation but is suspected to be from natural causes. Despite this, Tlaib visited the facility in December after receiving complaints from families and advocates about conditions inside, including rumors of a tuberculosis outbreak.
Tlaib expressed her concerns, stating that "ICE should be able to respond quickly and address the fear that somebody died under their care." She had not received confirmation from ICE at the time of her visit. The health officer for District Health Department #10, Kevin Hughes, confirmed that some detainees were tested for tuberculosis but said there was no indication of an outbreak.
However, advocates are fearing deaths on the rise as the Trump administration fills detention centers with undocumented immigrants at unprecedented rates. North Lake Processing Center is a privately owned facility operated by the GEO Group and can hold up to 1,800 detainees, making it one of the largest immigration detention facilities in the country.
The ACLU of Michigan had warned about the reopening months before detainees began arriving, citing the facility's "documented history of neglecting and abusing the people it detains and employs." The organization raised concerns about medical neglect, access to attorneys, and due process.
Tlaib echoed these concerns after her visit earlier this month, saying that oversight of ICE was "critical right now" and that over 1,400 people were being detained at North Lake. She vowed to hold the facility accountable, ensuring safe conditions and protecting everyone's rights.
In response to Tlaib's visit, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a statement attacking her and other lawmakers who conduct oversight of detention facilities, accusing them of spreading "FALSE allegations" and blaming criticism of ICE for an increase in assaults on officers. However, DHS omitted the fact that most Michigan residents detained by ICE have no criminal record.
The lack of transparency from ICE is concerning, especially after Gantchev's death. Local health officials say their role is limited, and ICE is only required to notify them of certain conditions. The public deserves answers about what led to Gantchev's death, and Tlaib's push for transparency is a step in the right direction.
US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) notified members of Congress on Thursday that Nenko Stanev Gantchev, a Bulgarian citizen, died Monday at the detention center. The official cause of death is still under investigation but is suspected to be from natural causes. Despite this, Tlaib visited the facility in December after receiving complaints from families and advocates about conditions inside, including rumors of a tuberculosis outbreak.
Tlaib expressed her concerns, stating that "ICE should be able to respond quickly and address the fear that somebody died under their care." She had not received confirmation from ICE at the time of her visit. The health officer for District Health Department #10, Kevin Hughes, confirmed that some detainees were tested for tuberculosis but said there was no indication of an outbreak.
However, advocates are fearing deaths on the rise as the Trump administration fills detention centers with undocumented immigrants at unprecedented rates. North Lake Processing Center is a privately owned facility operated by the GEO Group and can hold up to 1,800 detainees, making it one of the largest immigration detention facilities in the country.
The ACLU of Michigan had warned about the reopening months before detainees began arriving, citing the facility's "documented history of neglecting and abusing the people it detains and employs." The organization raised concerns about medical neglect, access to attorneys, and due process.
Tlaib echoed these concerns after her visit earlier this month, saying that oversight of ICE was "critical right now" and that over 1,400 people were being detained at North Lake. She vowed to hold the facility accountable, ensuring safe conditions and protecting everyone's rights.
In response to Tlaib's visit, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a statement attacking her and other lawmakers who conduct oversight of detention facilities, accusing them of spreading "FALSE allegations" and blaming criticism of ICE for an increase in assaults on officers. However, DHS omitted the fact that most Michigan residents detained by ICE have no criminal record.
The lack of transparency from ICE is concerning, especially after Gantchev's death. Local health officials say their role is limited, and ICE is only required to notify them of certain conditions. The public deserves answers about what led to Gantchev's death, and Tlaib's push for transparency is a step in the right direction.
ICE has no business being secretive like that and holding people's lives in their hands, especially when it comes to healthcare. I mean 56 years old dude just dies at a facility that's supposed to be taking care of him? it's just not right 
. Tlaib is definitely on the right track pushing for answers and making sure these facilities are held accountable. we need more people like her who aren't afraid to speak truth to power 
. it's also wild that DHS is attacking lawmakers for doing their job, like what even is that? anyway I'm just glad someone is finally bringing attention to this issue, it's time for some real change 
1 more person losin life in detention center is just too much. I mean, whatevs gonna be done abt these conditions? They r talkin bout "natural causes" but w/e, fam... 
ICE needs to step up their game & give us de truth. Tlaib's all over it tho 
My heart goes out to Gantchev's fam & all de other people in detention who r sufferin. 
they dont wanna talk about it cuz of their transparency issues 
& DHS is just attacking Rep Tlaib & other lawmakers who care about ppl's rights...like whats up w that? 
i mean, dont get me wrong, we gotta enforce laws, but not at the cost of human lives 
Tlaib is right to push for answers & better conditions...we need more ppl like her in office 
. It's also interesting that DHS is trying to discredit lawmakers who speak out against these conditions, like they're the ones spreading false info 
. Time for some real oversight and answers! 
. We should be making sure these places are treating everyone with dignity and respect, you know? No one should have to die because of ICE's mistakes 
. Maybe they need some more oversight, like Tlaib said... that would help me feel better about it all 
.
. It's so unfair that he died under unknown circumstances, leaving them with more questions than answers 
. We need to know what happened and how we can prevent such tragedies from happening again 
.
. I mean, can you believe that there are still places like North Lake Processing Center out there where people are being held against their will without any real care or concern for their well-being? It's just not right. And now we've got a poor guy like Nenko Stanev Gantchev who ended up passing away under suspicious circumstances... what if it wasn't natural after all? 
. We should be supporting her, not trying to silence her. This facility needs a serious overhaul, and it starts with giving us the truth 
I'm really worried about this facility, it's crazy that they're not being transparent about what's going on inside. Like, 56 years old and dying from natural causes? We need to know more! 
And can we talk about how crazy it is that this facility is so overcrowded? 1,800 people? That's insane. We need better systems in place for dealing with immigration issues, not more detention centers.
. It's not like they're just gonna sweep this under the rug or nothin'. Tlaib's right to be concerned, and we should all be concerned too 
anyway, tlaib is on a mission to make sure ice doesn't get away with whatever happened to this guy... and honestly, who can blame her? i mean, it's not like they're hiding anything or anything (just kidding, they probably are) 
but seriously, it's all about accountability right? 
. Rep Tlaib is doing the right thing by pushing for answers, hope she can get some real transparency out of DHS 
imagine this: you're stuck in a holding cell with no way out, just waiting to find out if you'll be deported or not... it's a pretty scary place 
. that's what Nenko Stanev Gantchev was in when he died at the North Lake Processing Center 
.
i mean, 56yo man just died at one of these places and nobody knew what was going on until now? that's some messed up stuff 
and don't even get me started on the GEO Group, they're like the ultimate villain 
And now someone's died, and we don't even know what happened yet. It's just not right.
We gotta give 'em some space to figure out what went down with Nenko Gantchev's passing. Like, 56 is old, man... natural causes or whatever, we don't know 
But let's not forget, these detention centers are like prisons, and people need access to healthcare and lawyers and all that jazz