Kamyar Samimi
Kamyar Samimi, 64, had been a lawful permanent resident in the United States since the 1970s. His daughter, Neda Samimi-Gomez, remembers him as an auto mechanic who loved NASCAR and who spent time with her in the garage. He died on December 2, 2017, while held at the Aurora ICE Processing Center in Aurora, Colorado, run by GEO Group, about two weeks after he was taken into immigration custody. His family says staff stopped his medication abruptly, treated his withdrawal symptoms as faking, and did not call 911 promptly as his condition worsened. An ICE death review and a federal inspector described serious medical failures, and the family's lawsuit against GEO Group ended in a settlement without an admission of wrongdoing.
Cause of death, as reported: Died from neglect by staff. His family says staff stopped his medication abruptly, treated his withdrawal symptoms as faking, and delayed calling 911 as he worsened; an ICE death review and a federal inspector described serious medical failures.
Reported by: Samimi's family (family or their lawyers); ICE death review (the agency that held him); federal inspector.
Lawsuit: His family sued GEO Group, which settled the case without admitting wrongdoing, and no dollar amount was reported.