This man is Edmar Alves Araujo. He was a 34 year immigrant from Brazil living in Milford, Massachusetts, who, after being pulled over for a traffic violation, died in federal custody after authorities denied him his medication. Police turned his sister away after she came to Woonsocket police headquarters to warn them of his condition and his need for daily medication.
Needless to say, this is not an isolated event.
As the Boston Globe makes perfectly clear:
Shuya Ohno, of the Massachusetts Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Coalition, said the death highlights the ongoing concerns of immigrant-rights groups about the immigration agency's treatment of detainees.
"This is a story we hear all the time. They don't let people get their medication," he said. "What should be shocking news isn't that shocking."
Below are some more examples of immigrant detainees being denied their medication:
Christian Science Monitor, 11 July 2007:
Ever since Jimmy Carter was president, summer has meant one thing for Majed Shehadeh and his wife, Joanne Mulligan: time to pack. From their modest house in Bavaria, they migrate annually to their summer home in Massachusetts, where Ms. Mulligan was born and raised, with the accent to prove it.
But after making regular trips for decades, Mr. Shehadeh's last visit went deeply awry, indefinitely suspending his plans for returning.
A Syrian-born German citizen, he was detained when he flew into Las Vegas in December to celebrate his daughter's passing of the California bar exam. He was then strip-searched, denied his prescription medication, and kept in a crowded jail cell with no mattresses and a single toilet out in the open. Three days later, he was sent back to Germany.
World Socialist Web Site, 9 June 2005:
While in jail, he was denied dental care and was unable to eat his food properly. He was also diabetic, but was deprived of his medication for as long as three months. His blood sugar was high and he complained that his feet were numb. When he went on a seven-day hunger strike, vowing to continue until he died, he was thrown into solitary confinement and had his glasses taken away so he could not see. By this point, he had been in jail for 11 months, far past the 6-month legal limit the government can hold detainees. In addition, he lost his job and could no longer send money to his wife and children in Mali.
Medill Reports, 16 July 2007:
According to the ACLU, detainees in San Diego routinely experience long delays in receiving treatment, are denied necessary medication for chronic illnesses, and refused essential referrals prescribed by medical staff.
AFFIDAVIT OF ADEL SAID SULEIMAN, 18 December 2006:
There is no nurse and people who need medication are denied it if they did not bring it with them from their homes when they were arrested. There are three other prisoners who require blood pressure medicine. I am diabetic and I have to take medication twice every day, but I have only enough for two or three more days.
There is another diabetic, here, too. The guards bring us evening medication late, after supper, although it should be taken with food. The food served here is dangerous to diabetics, because it is sweet. I asked them to leave the sugar out of my oatmeal, but they refused. I take medication in the morning and because I cannot take it with food my blood sugar is very low.
See more examples here.
For maximum irony, see here.
Update: More info on this case and others here