Lawmakers demand answers from Homeland Security in Otay Mesa death of detainee from Guatemala

Members of San Diego’s congressional delegation on Friday demanded answers from the Trump administration regarding the death of an immigrant detainee at Otay Mesa Detention Center.

Guillermo Pascual Verganza, 42, was found unconscious and unresponsive in his single-occupant cell at the Department of Homeland Security facility near the border on Oct. 24, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office.

Prison staff members and paramedics tried in vain to revive the man before pronouncing him dead at the scene shortly before 12:30 p.m., the county agency reported.

San Diego Democratic Reps. Juan Vargas, Scott Peters, Sara Jacobs, along with Rep. Mike Levin, who represents part of North County and south Orange County, joined in writing a letter with California’s senators, Alex Padilla and Adam Schiff, expressed their “grave concern” over Pascual’s death.

They called for an inquiry into his death and for regular updates on its progress because “without complete and accurate information, Congress cannot fully assess whether existing policies, procedures and safeguards are sufficient to protect individuals in federal custody.