Overview
- He died on January 6 at John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Indio, California, two days after reporting chest pain at the Imperial Regional Detention Facility.
- ICE says he was first evaluated locally and then airlifted to a higher level of care before being pronounced dead at 1:18 a.m. Pacific Time.
- Yáñez‑Cruz was arrested in a targeted operation in Newark on November 16, 2025, and was in custody pending removal after a prior 1993 removal and later unauthorized reentry, according to officials.
- His daughter says he was healthy before detention, became ill in custody, and did not receive adequate medical attention, and she says the family was unaware of his hospital transfer.
- His death is one of at least four reported among immigration detainees in the first 10 days of 2026, as coverage notes FY2025 recorded unusually high detention fatalities and DHS states detainees receive comprehensive and 24‑hour emergency care.