Flagstaff, Arizona – A Mexican national who lived in Flagstaff for years died while in immigration detention in Florence, Arizona.
ICE announced in a Sept. 2 press release that 32-year-old Lorenzo Antonio Batrez Vargas died on the morning of Aug. 31 at Mountain Vista Medical Center in Mesa.
The agency said officers had detained him at the Central Arizona Correctional Complex since July after Phoenix police arrested him on charges of aggravated assault and other offenses.
ICE has not shared details about what led to Batrez Vargas’ hospitalization and says his cause of death remains under investigation.
A GoFundMe page created to cover his funeral costs in Flagstaff states he likely died from COVID-19 complications.
His death marks the 12th this year in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, making 2025 the deadliest year in detention since 2020.
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