PHILADELPHIA — The family of a Cambodian-born man raised in the United States is demanding answers after he died following a medical emergency while in custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at a federal detention centre in Philadelphia.
Parady La, 46, was taken into ICE custody on 6 January after leaving his home in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, to buy groceries. His family said they were unaware of his detention and searched for him for hours before learning he had been held by immigration authorities.
ICE officials said La was found unresponsive in his cell the following day. Officers performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation and administered several doses of naloxone before he was taken to hospital in critical condition.
La died at around 03:22 on 9 January, after spending two days in hospital, officials said.
Relatives said La had struggled with drug addiction and believe he did not receive adequate care for withdrawal symptoms while in detention. His nephew, Michael La, said the family was told La had been vomiting and repeatedly asking for help and water while being held.
“He came here when he was two years old,” Michael La told NBC10. “People call him a Cambodian man, but he’s really an American man. He’s never even been to Cambodia.”
According to ICE, La arrived in the United States as a refugee in 1981 and became a permanent resident a year later. The agency said he later lost his legal status after committing several crimes between 1994 and 2022.
ICE said La was experiencing severe drug withdrawal and had been placed under medical observation at the detention facility. The agency said medical staff were aware of his condition and provided care in line with policy.
Medical findings cited by ICE included anoxic brain injury, shock and multi-organ failure. ICE said it has launched a review of the incident, which it said is standard procedure following a death in custody.
La’s family disputes ICE’s account and has questioned why naloxone — typically used for opioid overdoses — was administered if he was suffering from withdrawal.
“He was a real person. People loved him,” his daughter, Jazmine La, said, adding that the family would continue pressing for accountability.
While ICE has said it is committed to ensuring that all people in custody are held in safe, secure and humane conditions, the 32 who died in detention centres in 2025 are telling a different story.
