Press Release: ACLU of Massachusetts calls for thorough investigation into death of second immigrant in custody

BOSTON - The American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts today called for a thorough investigation into yesterday's death of Maxsuel Medeiros, a 25-year-old immigrant from Brazil, who died while in Massachusetts State Police custody. As reported in today's Boston Globe, Medeiros' death is the second time since July that a Brazilian immigrant living in Massachusetts has died while in custody.

"The tragic death of a second young, Brazilian immigrant in detention raises questions that cannot be ignored," said Carol Rose, Executive Director of the ACLU of Massachusetts. "Last month's death of Edmar Alves Araujo after being arrested in Rhode Island raised concerns about the adequacy of medical care for detained individuals. That matter is currently under investigation, and we need to know the facts surrounding the death of Mr. Medeiros as well."

The death of Medeiros early Tuesday following his arrest on Friday, Aug. 31, raises other questions. "Why did police check the identification of Mr. Medeiros, the passenger in the car they stopped for a traffic violation? In addition to the facts surrounding Medieros' death, we need to know why he was in custody in the first place," said Rose.

The ACLU of Massachusetts has expressed growing concern in recent months over the increase in immigration raids and individual arrests, which are carried out in the name of finding undocumented immigrants, but often are conducted in violation of constitutional and legal rights.