December 29, 2017
An aging Iranian the United States was trying to deport for drug crimes died last week in the custody of immigration officers.
Kamyar Samimi, 64, was taken into custody by officers of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) at his Colorado home November 17, some 12 years after being convicted of cocaine possession, according to a news release. ICE used the cocaine conviction as part of its deportation case.
Samimi became ill the morning of December. 2, and emergency medical responders were called. Samimi become “unresponsive,” and CPR was performed. He was taken to the University of Colorado Medical Center in Aurora, where he was pronounced dead at 12:20 p.m., the release said.
The preliminary cause of death is cardiac arrest, ICE said.
Samimi entered the United States April 19, 1976, as a student in New York City. Samimi eventually received a green card. On January 9, 1987, his application for US citizenship was denied for failure to supply requested documents, ICE said. He stayed in the United States for decades on his green card.
On June 9, 2005, Samimi was convicted in Colorado of possessing cocaine. He received a two-year deferred sentence and was ordered to perform 64 hours of community service.
Based on his felony conviction 12 years earlier, ICE deportation officers arrested Samimi at his home last month. It wasn’t explained why he had not been ordered deported long ago, since convicted felons are a priority for deportation. However, that may be because Iran does not accept Iranians the US seeks to deport.