Published On 7/3/2026
On Friday, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced the death of a German citizen while in immigration custody, where he had been receiving treatment in a hospital since last November.
The authority said that the 85-year-old man died in Harlingen, Texas, where he was undergoing treatment for dementia, high blood pressure, cognitive disorders, and a stomach ulcer, among other diseases.
A doctor confirmed his death on June 24, and it was decided to conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death.
According to the authority’s statement, at the end of August 2025, the man attempted to enter the United States through the Laredo border crossing, but the authorities refused him entry because he did not possess valid travel documents.
The statement added that the US Customs and Border Protection Authority began procedures against him and referred the case to a court of the US Department of Justice.
The next day, he was transferred to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, which a month later placed him in a foster home.
The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency stated that it had notified a number of American agencies, in addition to the German Consulate General and the relatives of the deceased, of his death.
Since Donald Trump took office, the United States has adopted stricter immigration and asylum policies, including tightening border procedures, enhancing entry visa checks, and imposing tight controls on undocumented immigrants, making European travelers vulnerable to greater scrutiny when entering the country.
A report in the Washington Post in April pointed to the radical changes Trump is making in the court system to ease the backlog of asylum cases, which has prompted his officials to appoint deportation judges, some of whom do not have sufficient experience and training, according to the report.
These appointments come in the wake of the Department of Justice dismissing more than 100 judges in immigration cases since Trump took office, in what was described as an unprecedented process. A similar number also retired or resigned, and more than 140 new judges have been appointed in their place so far.
