The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania has filed a federal complaint on behalf of the widow of an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detainee who died while incarcerated at Moshannon Valley Processing Center in December of 2023.
Frankline Okpu was a Cameroonian citizen who won immigration relief under the Convention Against Torture in October of 2023. ICE refused to release Mr. Okpu as the agency appealed this decision.
In December of 2023, ICE officials found Mr. Okpu unresponsive in his solitary confinement cell. In ICE’s Detainee Death Report – the only public disclosure of the details of Mr. Okpu’s death – ICE claims that Mr. Okpu died as a result of MDMA (or ecstasy) toxicity.
In May 2024, the ACLU of Pennsylvania filed a Freedom of Information Act request on behalf of Mr. Okpu’s widow to obtain Mr. Okpu’s detention file, medical records, autopsy report, and any witness statements and documented investigations into Mr. Okpu’s death.
ICE’s failure to release these records is a violation of the Freedom of Information Act. This lawsuit asks the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to compel ICE to release the records to Mr. Okpu’s family.
