By Valarie Honeycutt Spears and Steve Lannen
vhoneycutt@herald-leader.com
Officials won’t say what happened at the Franklin County jail last month to cause the death of Ana Romero, a Salvadoran immigrant awaiting deportation.
Family members say that, shortly before her death Aug. 21, Romero was placed in isolation for refusing to eat. Mario Aguilar said Romero, his sister-in-law, had telephoned several times from the jail saying her stomach hurt and she was vomiting.
Matthew Pippin, a Louisville attorney representing the family of the 44-year-old woman, said an autopsy was performed more than 10 days ago, but a preliminary report has not been released.
“We are befuddled about not having preliminary autopsy results,” said Pippin, who added that he is “certainly concerned about the circumstances surrounding her death.”
The silence mirrors dozens of cases nationwide in which little information is released about deaths in jails and prisons among those awaiting deportation. Congress has recently demanded that more information be made public.
The New York Times recently reported that at least 71 people set for deportation died in custody from 2004 to May 2008. Advocates are now calling for improved health care and suicide prevention measures for the detainees.
Although the deaths of immigrants in custody has become a national issue, the topic hasn’t received much attention in Kentucky, said the Rev. Patrick Delahanty, interim director of the Catholic Conference of Kentucky.
“It’s probably something we should watch,” Delahanty said. “I hope someone does take an interest in it and begins to take a look at it.”
Romero, who worked in Shelbyville cleaning houses to support her elderly mother and her two sons who were attending college in El Salvador, had not been charged with any crimes other than those related to being an illegal immigrant, Pippin said.
On Oct. 13, 2005, immigration officials ordered Romero to leave the country within 90 days, according to federal court records.. She did not.
Pippin said Romero, who came to Kentucky from El Salvador three years ago, was arrested on Jan.14 by Kentucky State Police after giving federal immigration officials a false identification card. Mario Aguilar said officers were looking for another suspect when they knocked on Romero’s door.
As a result of the January charges, she spent five months in the Shelby County jail and was transferred to the Franklin County Regional Jail in May, where she stayed the last four months.
Romero entered a guilty plea that U.S. District Judge Danny C. Reeves signed Aug. 7. She was required to pay a $100 fine, but did not receive additional jail time.
Pippin said Franklin County Coroner Will Harrod told him that Romero was found Aug. 21 with a sheet around her neck.
Harrod did not return telephone calls Tuesday.
Pippin said he thinks officials are investigating the death as a suicide.
Franklin Chief Deputy Coroner Marchele Otten said Monday an autopsy was performed after the death, but her office had not received information from the state medical examiner’s office about a preliminary cause of death for Romero.
Franklin County Jailer Billy Roberts did not return several telephone calls Tuesday. But the The State Journal reported in an article last week that 911 was called around 11:15 p.m. Aug. 21 and Romero was taken by emergency medical personnel to the Frankfort Regional Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead just before midnight. Roberts told the paper that his staff tried to save Romero.
Aguilar, co-owner of Marimba’s Mexican restaurant in Shelbyville, said that on Aug. 18 Romero called him complaining of stomach pain and vomiting. A female jail employee got on the phone and asked Aguilar to encourage his sister-in-law to eat.
But Aguilar said Romero told him that the food smelled bad and there was something wrong with it.
He said she called back again on Aug. 19 and said she was still sick. Aguilar said Romero told him she was placed in a dark isolation room on Aug. 20 for not eating.
“She had lost 30 to 35 pounds in the Franklin County jail because she did not want to eat the food,” Aguilar said.
Pippin said Romero showed no signs of depression or being suicidal in the days leading up to her death.
She had family who loved her here and at home in El Salvador, he said.
Pippin said that Romero’s family thinks her religious convictions would have prevented her from committing suicide.
“She was a devout Catholic,” he said.
Pippin said a state police detective refused to talk to him about the case. State police officials could not immediately be reached for comment.
Romero’s son, Asdrubal Velasquez of El Salvador, said in an e-mail to the Herald-Leader that his mother’s death, “was somewhat shocking for me and my brother.”
“We miss her,” Velasquez said, adding that it was “unfair” for the government not to give him and his brother information about their mother’s death.
No officials have talked to Romero’s family who saw her in the days leading up to her death, Pippin said.
I have frequently visited immigrants in jail as a part of my ministry. I have defended some against abuse by the legal system, but mostly the jails have shown some humanity in our area. I would comment that in the case of Ana who died in the Franklin County jail, not wanting to eat can be a definite sign of depression. That is something I know from personal experience. I was surprised that the article made no mention of that possible connection. Anorexia, if that is what it was in Ana’s case, can accompany depression.
If this woman had not entered our country illegally she would be alive today. Unlike most illegals who are ordered deported, she was given 90 days to settle her affairs and leave the county. She refused to obey orders which is yet another crime. There is little that can be done if a person refuses to eat. She thought by not eating she would be released from jail and not be returned to her country. She was WRONG and she paid the price. It was her choice.
Deaths of illegals in custody HAS NOT become a national issue as the New York Times, Delahanty and extreamist advocates for illegal aliens in congress have suggested. This is only in their minds. You have to look at who is is talking. The Times is a joke. Delahanty is an advocate for law breakers. None have any credibility.
Deaths of illegals have increased simply because there are so many more who have been aressted. Death happene every day regardless of where it happenes. These deaths are mainly due to the deseases the illegals are bringing into our country such as TB and others we never heard of. Detainees are not being abused. If fact, ICE is treating these people better that the general population in those jails.
I can’t believe Spears, Lannen and the liberal media are so concerned about the death of one illegal alien who killed her self while there has been 10’s of thousands of murders, DUI deaths and drug deaths of American citizens at the hands of illegal aliens since 9/11. I wonder why this is never reported? I guess the deaths of fellow Americans mean nothing to these people.
Life is a series of choices. This woman made hers. Would she be alive had she made only one choice differently? Possibly, but I can say that even Paul Witte, Minister noted above, will agree that it’s all in the hands of God.
When Spears, Lannon, Baniak, Eblen, Gallman or another ptominent member of Lexington loses a family member or their own lives by criminals of illegal aliens then perhaps they’s change their perspective.
As it stands, they have no journalistic objectivity. You can read their bias is clearly apparant.
This nation is rising up against illegal immigration. Illegals are self-deporting. ICE activity is accelerated. Employers are getting wise and are nt hiring.
Best of all, Kathy Stein will be booted out of office in November and a new anti-sanctuary bill will be filed and passed. Her rants, raves and conduct cost her her position as Chair of the House Judiciary.
The Herald-Leader will simply watch its circulation continue to shrink. They’re losing in the public eye and don’t even suspect why.
I agree with David. The Herald-Leader just doen’t get it when it comes to illegal aliens. It’s unfortunate when anyone dies, but this woman should not have been here in the first place. Thus, my sympathy goes to the jail personnel who have to put up with with people like Anna Romero (is that her real name?)who use fake ID cards - in itself a crime.
What does the HL expect us to do about this episode?
Immigration attorneys and the ACLU demand that these illegal aliens have “due process,” which often results in prolonged detention.
Any illegal alien arrested, regardless of family ties or the length of time they illegally resided here, should be deported within one week. LaRaza, the ACLU (one and the same!) and (illegal) immigration attorneys, in my opinion, share a large part of the blame for those illegal aliens who die in custody while all of the above use them as pawns in an effort to justify their existence.
“Pippin said that Romero’s family thinks her religious convictions would have prevented her from committing suicide.”
Her religious convictions didn’t prevent her from entering the United States as an ILLEGAL! How could her religious convictions be very strong or did she just cherry pick her convictions?
I bet all the commenters above are ProLife. All life is precious, unless you’re illegal.
I dont think anyone is saying that life is not precious. The arguement is not that of life but of choices. It all starts with choices. I empathize with Anna and her family. They have had a loss, a loss of life and family. There are several issues to look at here. The first choice of coming here illiegally set the stage. And then we have our process of deporting illegals that apparently is not working for americans nor illegal aliens. Myself, having experience working for corrections understand first hand that there are different level of crimes and someone like Anna without a criminal background should be detained in a different kind of atmosphere as well as promoting a faster process of deportation. Did she make a wrong or bad choice to come here illegally, yes. But I think we as responsible americans need to take a look at the entire process of deportation and create a system that works in a more efficient and prompt manner that benefits americas needs for deporting expiditiously and the safety of illegals that come here illegally versus illegals that come here and committ other crimes against the public. If the only crime committed is coming here illegally I have a hard time understanding why it should take so long to deport. There is a responsibility on both parts. I hope that we stop trying to always look for blame when things go bad or dont work and look for answers to improve every and any situation. I believe things happen so we can learn from them.
how sad it is that people have to suggest that immigrants need to die for lack of medical care in a place where they have no choice to seek out health care on their own. i always thought the spirit of this democratic country to which so many immigrants have come for hope and a new life was more open and welcoming than that.
“Ray” seems to think that entering the country illegally is a sin. He questions this woman’s religious convictions because she broke a (non-criminal) law. Breaking a rule is automatically sinning? Ray would probably also say its un-American to break any American laws. Let’s remember that Jesus broke laws. Let’s also remember that this country was born of revolution. We revolted against our government, and broke many British laws in the process, committed treason from the perspective of the British government. Sometimes laws are wrong. Sometimes laws are racist, sexist, or otherwise discriminatory. Sometimes laws clearly violate people’s religious convictions. Sometimes governments overstep their authority and the Christian thing to do, the patriotic thing to do, is actually to disobey those laws. There’s nothing more American, and nothing more Christ-like, than to stand up to authoritarian governments, or governments that violate human rights and civil rights. That’s what Jesus would do (and did do), that’s what the founders of this nation would do (and did do). So - I’m sorry Ray, but you seem to be the one who cherry picks his religious convictions. Where’s your compassion? That goes for all of you on this blog who suggest that an illegal immigrant deserves to die. God is disappointed in all of you.
When did being in this country without legal documentation become punishable by death?!! I’m appalled at the insane logic of commenters who seem to say that Ana Romero, a hardworking woman who supported her family, deserved to die because she made the choice to try to help her family survive! Was she ill? did the food taste funny because she was sick? did she have stomach cancer? an ulcer? how will we know if the officials will not communicate the results of the autopsy? She should have been receiving medical treatment, not put isolation. How inhumane to try to rationalize the suffering of this woman as an issue of “choice.” You should be ashamed of yourselves for such hateful words!