Man dies in ICE custody at Miami Correctional Facility

BUNKER HILL, Ind. (WISH) — A 59-year-old man died Monday in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at the Miami Correctional Facility.

A news release issued Wednesday from ICE said Lorth Sim, a felon, died at 7:10 a.m. Monday after staff found him unresponsive in his cell. Facility staff and emergency medical services could not resuscitate him. The cause of Sim’s death remains under investigation.

Sim had been in ICE custody since late December following a removal order issued nearly 20 years ago, the release said. Sim entered the U.S. as a refugee in 1983. Three years later, in 1986, he became a lawful permanent resident.

His criminal history in the United States spanned several decades, the release said. Sim was arrested for disorderly conduct in 1989, indecent exposure in 1996 and larceny in 2005. For these offenses, he received suspended sentences and probation but did not serve prison time.

In 2006, an immigration judge ordered Sim’s removal to his native Cambodia following an arrest by ICE. He remained out of custody until Dec. 30, when ICE officers encountered him at an office lobby in Boston. Officers informed Sim he was under arrest pursuant to a warrant of removal.

Following his arrest in Boston, Sim was taken into the custody of ICE Chicago on Jan. ...