A Chicago business owner died in federal immigration custody after critical heart testing was delayed for months during a government payment crisis that blocked medical care for detainees nationwide. Congressional investigators now demand answers about whether bureaucratic failures cost lives.
Six-Month Payment Breakdown Left Detainees Without Care
Nenko Gantchev died December 15, 2025, at Michigan’s North Lake Processing Center while awaiting a cardiac examination that never happened. His family says facility staff detected dangerous heart irregularities weeks before his death and ordered an echocardiogram. Despite the referral, Gantchev never received the test. A medical examiner ruled his death resulted from heart attack, with type two diabetes as a contributing factor.
From October 2025 through May 2026, Immigration and Customs Enforcement lost its ability to process payments to doctors and pharmacies providing off-site medical services for detained individuals. Internal ICE documents obtained by investigators described the situation as an absolute emergency, warning that lack of payment support would delay critical medical care. The breakdown occurred as detention numbers surged nationwide under expanded enforcement operations.
Lawmakers Investigate Nationwide Medical Access Failures
Representative Delia Ramirez, whose district includes Gantchev’s Chicago home, launched a formal congressional investigation alongside Representative Mark Takano of California. The lawmakers are examining whether unpaid bills caused medical providers to refuse services to ICE detainees and whether a backlog of unprocessed claims persists today. Ramirez emphasized the problem extends beyond one case, noting this year became the deadliest in ICE detention history with at least 45 deaths recorded since January.
The investigation focuses on whether the Veterans Affairs payment processing system, which handles ICE medical claims, contributed to preventable deaths through bureaucratic negligence. ICE has not provided detailed answers to Gantchev’s family or congressional investigators more than five months after his death. The North Lake facility, operated by private contractor GEO Group, ranks among the largest ICE detention centers in the Midwest.
Questions Mount Over Private Detention Medical Standards
The case highlights ongoing concerns about healthcare standards in privately operated immigration detention facilities. While some detainees affected by the payment crisis have since been deported or released after legal challenges, Gantchev’s family says answers remain elusive. The congressional probe will examine whether current safeguards prevent similar payment lapses and whether administrative failures violate federal requirements for detainee medical care. Investigators seek documentation on how many individuals were denied services during the six-month breakdown.