(BUNKER HILL) - The ACLU of Indiana is calling for an urgent investigation into conditions at the Miami Correctional Facility after two men held in federal immigration custody died in less than 60 days.
The deaths involve Lorth Sim, 59, a lawful permanent resident from Cambodia, and Tuan Van Bui, 55, a Vietnamese man who had lived in the United States for more than 25 years.
Sim was found unresponsive in his cell on Feb. 18, with the Miami County coroner ruling his death was caused by atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease with diabetes as a significant contributing condition.
Bui was also found unresponsive on April 1, and his official cause of death remains under investigation.
The ACLU says the two deaths are raising serious concerns about medical monitoring, access to care and broader conditions inside the Bunker Hill prison, which began housing ICE detainees under a state-federal agreement last year.
Under that agreement, Indiana can house up to 1,000 immigration detainees, with the state receiving roughly $291 to $294 per detainee per day. As of early 2026, the facility was holding about 550 detainees at a time.
Advocacy groups have also reported broader complaints from detainees, including allegations of severe medical neglect, inadequate food and physical abuse by guards, adding to pressure for outside oversight.
The ACLU is calling on state and federal officials to release more information and strengthen oversight protections, arguing that civil immigration detainees are constitutionally entitled to humane, non-punitive conditions and timely medical care