To increase its capacity for detention, ICE has been contracting with private companies and purchasing large-scale detention centres capable of holding up to 10,000 people.

A document released earlier this year indicates it intends to have 92,600 beds in its detention centres by the end of fiscal year 2026.

Despite the rapid growth, DHS said that its detention centres had not seen a decline in their health and safety standards.

“As bed space has rapidly expanded, we have maintained higher a standard of care than most prisons that hold US citizens — including providing access to proper medical care,” the spokesperson said.

“For many illegal aliens, this is the best healthcare they have received their entire lives.”

That’s something the Ramos family disputes.

It was February 23 when Ramos was arrested as part of an immigration operation in Torrance, California. He was taken to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center, northeast of Los Angeles.

ICE records confirm that Ramos’s health conditions, including his diabetes and hypertension, were documented upon his arrival. Prior to his detention, he took daily medication to treat his symptoms.

But critics of ICE’s facilities have warned that conditions inside the detention centres are so harsh as to be life-threatening. A lawsuit filed in January described mould on Adelanto’s walls, insufficient medical care and “rampant” illness.

Jesus Arias, the Ramos family’s lawyer, believes that the environment contributed to Jose’s death.

“He had two conditions that many people in the US live with,” Arias said. “But even if someone has a normal condition that they need regular care for, such as diabetes, it’s at risk at Adelanto because the conditions are shocking.”

Tovar herself remembers Ramos warning her about life inside Adelanto. He told her that his clothes smelled as if they were never properly washed. And his diet was meagre.

During the month he was detained, his family sent him money so he could order food to ensure he ate enough.

“He felt like an animal, a dog, he’d say, all alone,” Tovar said.