Transgender ICE Detainee Died of AIDS Complications, Autopsy Shows

The official autopsy for Honduran migrant Roxsana Hernandez found she had "untreated HIV." Advocates say she was detained after requesting asylum

A transgender migrant from Honduras died in ICE custody last year from a rare, AIDS-related illness called multicentric Castleman disease, according to the official autopsy report released last week by the New Mexico Office of the Medical Investigator.

Activists had claimed in a wrongful death lawsuit that bruising and fractured ribs discovered by an independent medical examiner suggested that the migrant, Roxsana Hernandez, 33, had been abused while in detention, NBC News reported.

But the state medical investigator said in a statement that it did not “share that conclusion,” noting that forceful CPR broke Hernandez’ ribs and caused the bruising.

The official autopsy concluded that Hernandez, who had been detained after requesting asylum, had “untreated HIV infection" and died from AIDS-related complications.

According to the autopsy and notes provided by Immigration and Customs Enforcement about Hernandez’ treatment while in custody, both it and Customs and Border Patrol were aware of Hernandez’ HIV status during her detention but still did not provide her with the necessary antiretroviral drugs.

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