Guatemalan Villagers Mourn Migrant Released from ICE Custody Before Death

Hundreds of mourners gathered at the San Francisco de Asís Catholic church in Aldea El Pilar Dos, Guatemala, on Aug. 3 to bury José Efraín Chajón Raxón, who died at University Hospital in New Jersey after suffering convulsions at the Delaney Hall immigration detention center in Newark.

Villagers lined the church doors as six men carried a silver coffin draped with both Guatemalan and American flags, according to Documented. The burial on Monday afternoon followed a series of vigils and wakes held for Chajón Raxón, who had migrated over a decade ago to escape poverty.

Community members described him during livestreams as a dedicated provider seeking better opportunities for his children and family in Guatemala.

"Our dear brother José Efraín migrated in order to provide for his family and help them prosper. He left with such hope and joy," an attendee said during the burial service, speaking in Kaqchikel Maya and Spanish.

The attendee expressed gratitude for donations sent from home and abroad to return the body to his hometown.

"But we do not know how he arrived, perhaps with great suffering," he said.

Family members expressed grief and frustration regarding his sudden death and the lack of resources to pursue an official investigation into the circumstances surrounding his treatment in custody.

"If we don't have any [money] what can we do?" Carmela Raxón Boror, his 60-year-old mother, said, explaining that she depended on the financial support her son sent from the United States.

His younger brother, Francisco Armando, 33, shared details provided by a cousin who was also detained at Delaney Hall the day of the incident.

"The thing is that we had seen that he had suffered from convulsions [before]," Francisco Armando said.

According to his brother, the cousin witnessed Chajón Raxón suffer a seizure and fall to the floor before facility staff removed him from the area.

"He had a convulsion inside and then they took him out of there. But since then, we do not know anything about what happened after," Francisco Armando said.

The cousin reported that medical staff placed Chajón Raxón on a transport stretcher using heavy restraints.

"As if he was a criminal," Francisco Armando said.

Family members noted that the physical condition during the emergency transfer remained a point of deep concern.

"They took him to the hospital with his hands, and the stretcher tied with chains," Francisco Armando said.

Financial limitations have prevented the family from hiring legal representation or launching an inquiry into the facility's actions.

"As if he was a criminal…They took him to the hospital with his hands, and the stretcher tied with chains," Francisco Armando said.

The family emphasized that official inquiries require resources they currently do not possess.

"If we start something [an investigation], then everything will start to move from there, but it is only if you have money," Francisco Armando said.

Without financial backing, the family faces significant hurdles in seeking answers.

"And we don't have any money," Francisco Armando said.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Chajón Raxón experienced convulsions at Delaney Hall before being transferred to a nearby hospital, where U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) released him from custody shortly before his death. His case follows the death of Jean Wilson Brutus, a 41-year-old Haitian national who died from a blood clot in December, and Edwin Jovanny López Cornejo, a 39-year-old Salvadoran who died on Aug. 1 after being transferred from the same facility.