NDLON Mourns Santos Banegas, Who Died in ICE Custody

LONG ISLAND, N.Y., Sept. 23 – Santos Edilberto Banegas Reyes was arrested in Hempstead, NY, and died in ICE custody last Thursday, Sept. 18, at the Nassau County Correctional Center in East Meadow, N.Y. A citizen of Honduras, Santos was 42 and had two children.

The following is a statement from Nadia Marin-Molina, Co-Executive Director of the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON):

“Like so many immigrants before him, Santos Banegas bravely crossed borders to support his loved ones. He followed a path of hope, and faithfully served his family and community with his labor. His untimely and unexplained death in ICE detention at the Nassau County Correctional Center leaves a grieving family without a father and provider – and the circumstances of his death demand answers.

“In its statement today, Immigration and Customs Enforcement tries through insinuation to deny Mr. Banegas his humanity and to shrug off its responsibility for his health and safety. But humanity and dignity are inseparable and irrevocable. No amount of disgusting spin about the death of Mr. Banegas – who his family said had no known health issues – can change that.

“In addition, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who proudly signed the 287(g) agreement under which the County Jail holds ICE detainees, dismissed his death as an ‘unfortunate circumstance.’

“When any law-enforcement agency takes someone into custody, they take full responsibility for their detainee’s safety. ICE has become notorious for shoddy, dangerous, inhumane detention conditions and brutal neglect and mistreatment of people it has abducted. Through its agreement with ICE, Nassau County is colluding with ICE’s atrocious practices. We join those calling for a full investigation into Mr. Banegas’s  detention and the circumstances of his death. We also call for an immediate cancellation of the Nassau County 287(g) agreements.”

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