GWINNETT COUNTY, Ga. — A Metro Atlanta family says their loved one is in Immigration detention and will be deported this week.
They say that's almost a certain death sentence for the 48-year-old, who suffers from severe heart problems.
It appears to be a hard example of this country's toughening stance on immigration, and one family’s heartache.
Immigration officials say they are following the law and are giving him all the medical attention he needs while in their custody.
Records show Miguel Angel Fuentes-Villatoro was charged with driving without a license in 2015. He'd previously been caught trying to come over the border without papers.
"I'm feeling sad. This is nobody listens to you when you have a problem," Fuentes-Villatoro said while sitting in custody recently at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia.
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He expects to be put on a plane and sent back to El Salvador on Thursday.
"I don’t think my country will have the medicine for my condition," he said.
Fuentes-Villatoro's family believes they have just hours to try to save his life. His wife and three daughters live in Stone Mountain.
"Back there, he won't get any treatment, so pretty much they are leading him to death," said his daughter Jessica.
The family has gone on a social media and letter-writing campaign, trying to convince immigration officials to let their father live out what years he has left here, receiving treatment from American doctors.
One doctor sent a letter, "With Mr. Fuentes-Villatoro's cardiac condition, he should remain local in Atlanta for evaluation and treatment."
"It's really hard for us. If they are hearing us, please let my dad out at least for him to live his years here," Jessica told Channel 2's Gwinnett County Bureau Chief Tony Thomas.
An Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesperson emailed Thomas a statement saying in part: "Mr. Villatoro has a prior criminal conviction for a local misdemeanor charge and he is subject to a final order of removal issued by a federal immigration judge in April 2000. "
"It's a problem for me," Fuentes-Villatoro said.
He’s had three surgeries on his heart and wears a pacemaker. His daughter says he has already had one heart attack since being in custody since mid-March.
She fears he won’t be able to get the pacemaker batteries changed as is required later this year.
Without the machine, she says he will die.
"He can definitely die as soon as he gets there. So that's why we worry. We want for them to let him out," Jessica Fuentes said.
The full statement from Immigration and Customs Enforcement is as follows: (as sent in two emails)
Miguel Angel Fuentes-Villatoro, 48, an illegally present Salvadoran national is currently detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Mr. Villatoro has a prior criminal conviction for a local misdemeanor charge and he is subject to a final order of removal issued by a federal immigration judge in April 2000.
ICE is committed to ensuring the welfare of all those in the agency's custody, including providing access to necessary and appropriate medical care. Comprehensive medical care is provided to all individuals in ICE custody. In cases where the health of an ICE detainee may be in jeopardy as determined by health-care professionals, ICE may keep these individuals under observation in the facility medical department where they can be closely monitored. Staffing for detainees includes registered nurses and licensed practical nurses, licensed mental health providers, mid-level providers that include a physician's assistant and nurse practitioner, a physician, dental care, and access to 24-hour emergency care. Pursuant to our commitment to the welfare of those in the agency's custody, ICE spends more than $180M annually on the spectrum of healthcare services provided to detainees.
All detainees receive a comprehensive physical exam within 14 days of arrival to identify medical, mental health and dental conditions that require monitoring or treatment. A detainee with a medical condition requiring follow-up treatment will be scheduled for as many appointments as needed, including with outside medical providers or facilities, if needed. All ICE detainees, regardless of location, can expect timely and appropriate responses to emergent medical requests, and timely medical care appropriate to the anticipated length of detention. At no time during detention will a detainee be denied emergent care.
ICE remains committed to ensuring its facilities adhere to ICE's detention standards which provide several levels of oversight in order to ensure that residents in ICE custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments.
Bryan Cox <br/> U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement Spokesperson
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