Daniel González

The Republic | azcentral.com

Another detainee from the deadliest immigration detention center in the nation died this week.

The detainee, a 36-year-old woman from Guatemala, died Sunday at Banner Casa Grande Medical Center, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials. She was being held at the Eloy Detention Center, which an investigation by The Arizona Republic found to have the highest number of deaths in the U.S.

Raquel Calderon de Hildago, was taken to the hospital after medical staff at the Eloy Detention Center called paramedics following a series of seizures, ICE officials said in a news release. The woman continued to experience seizures in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, ICE officials said.

Calderon is the third person in ICE custody to die since the start of fiscal year 2017 on Oct. 1 and the 15th tied to the Eloy Detention Center since 2003.

The 15 deaths represent 9 percent of the 165 immigration detainees who have died in ICE custody since 2003, according to ICE statistics.

A 2015 analysis of ICE data by The Republic found that there have been more deaths tied to the Eloy Detention Center than any other detention facility in the nation.

Feds to review use of for-profit immigration-detention centers

Calderon's death is the first linked to the Eloy Detention Center since Jose de Jesus Deniz-Sahagun,a 31-year-old immigrant from Mexico, was found dead in his cell there in May 2015.

His death was later ruled a suicide, the fifth to occur at the facility, according to The Republic's analysis. A July report by Human Rights Watch concluded that deficient medical care contributed to the suicide death of Deniz-Sahagun.

ICE contracts with the Nashville-based Corrections Corporation of America to operate the 1,550-bed Eloy Detention Center in Pinal County, 60 miles south of Phoenix. CCA is one of the largest private prison operators in the country.

Critics contend that privately run immigration-detention centers in an effort to maximize profits provide inadequate medical care that has contributed to numerous deaths. CCA officials have maintained their facilities are inspected regularly by ICE and provide excellent care.

In August, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson ordered a review to decide whether to end the use of privately run immigration-detention facilities. The review is due by Wednesday.

Calderon was transferred to ICE custody on Nov. 23, six days after she was arrested near Robles Junction, southwest of Tucson, by the Border Patrol, according to the ICE news release.

At the time of her death, she was awaiting deportation to Guatemala, ICE officials said. ICE said database checks indicate she had no criminal history in the U.S.

State health and local law-enforcement officials have been advised of her death, as have the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General, and ICE's Office of Professional Responsibility.