An immigrant, who was in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials, became the eighth detainee to die while in their custody during the current 2016 fiscal year.

Luis Alonso Fino Martinez, at 54 years old, died at University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey, after being rushed there from the Essex County Detention Facility by ambulance on June 13.

Autopsy Pending

The preliminary cause of death of the Honduran national remains a mystery and authorities are planning to conduct an autopsy.

Fino Martinez was taken into the custody of ICE officials on June 12, 2015, after serving time at the Northern State Prison on felony weapons and attempted murder charges.

Fino Martinez's immigration case was still under appeal at the time of his death. ICE is now working with the Honduran consulate to notify the victim's family.

Over the last six weeks, Jose Leonardo Lemus Rajo and Igor Zyazin also died while in ICE custody. The 23-year-old Rajo died at a Florida hospital after being in custody for just three days. The El Salvadoran native was being held at the Krome Detention Center in Miami when he became ill in late April. Five days later, Zyazin perished at the Otay Mesa Detention Center in San Diego after being in custody for 10 days after presenting himself at the border.

According to government records, 159 people have now died while in ICE custody over the last 13 years. In many cases, faulty medical treatment at the government's 637 immigration detention centers has been found to be a contributing factor in most of the deaths.

ACLU Report Probes Deaths of Eight Detainees

Earlier this year, the American Civil Liberties Union and Immigrant Justice Center unveiled the details surrounding the deaths of eight detainees who died while in ICE custody.

In its "Fatal Neglect: How ICE Ignores Death in Detention" report, researchers concluded "violations of medical standards" contributed to the deaths.

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