A longtime Chicago resident from Bulgaria died Monday while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a Michigan detention facility.
Nenko Gantchev, 56, was arrested Sept. 23 during “Operation Midway Blitz,” the Trump administration’s recent immigration enforcement campaign across the Chicago area.
Gantchev had been held at the North Lake Correctional Facility in Baldwin, Michigan, a private prison contracted by ICE to hold immigrants without legal status, when he was found unresponsive in his cell during a routine check, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
His death was “suspected to be from natural causes,” but the official cause was still under investigation, according to DHS officials who said Gantchev had a pending bond appeal.
U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez, D-Illinois, called for an “immediate, transparent investigation into the circumstances” of Gantchev’s death, including reports from other detainees that Gantchev asked for medical assistance and did not receive it in time to save his life.
“To date, we are aware of at least 30 deaths at ICE detention centers this year, making 2025 the deadliest year for immigrants in ICE custody,” Ramirez said in a statement Thursday.
DHS officials said staffers provided treatment to Gantchev and that the agency “is committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments.”
Officials also claimed Gantchev had been had been arrested four times since 1995, with charges dropped in two cases and the outcomes unknown in the others.
According to ABC7, Gantchev was among hundreds of immigrants that a federal judge in Chicago ordered released on bond last month. But the order was later blocked by the Seventh Circuit Appeals Court.
Gantchev’s wife and friends told the news station he moved to Chicago 30 years ago on a student visa, received a work permit, owned a trucking company and was in the process of applying for a green card.
Officials at the detention facility made no diet accommodations for Gantchev’s type 2 diabetes, loved ones said.
“He’s paid taxes this whole time, he’s not a criminal,” Gantchev’s wife told ABC7. “Why do they treat him like this?”
