DESERT HOT SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ) – Tim Parker, a Desert Hot Springs resident, said
he fears his best friend could die inside the Adelanto Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility claiming the longtime Coachella Valley gardener has not received critical HIV medication while in custody.
“We’ve known each other maybe 15 years,” Parker said. “He’s my best friend in the world. I’ve never met a more selfless, more helpful person.”
He said Francisco Torres-Osanaya, known to friends as “Paco,” was detained last week.
“They had been pulled over by multiple White SUVs with the capital ICE emblem on them,” Parker said. “Francisco was taken away, and no information was provided as to where he was taken.”
Parker said it took him days of driving across Southern California and repeated calls to immigration authorities before he finally located him after 3 days in Adelanto.
“I drove blindly to Adelanto and discovered that he was being held there,” Parker said.
He said he doesn’t know Torres-Osanaya immigration status, but that he has lived in the U.S. for 35 years with no criminal record.
“He had his paperwork in order as recently as a couple of years ago,” Parker said. “I think he must have let it slip.”
Parker said his greatest concern is Torres-Osanaya’s health.
“I brought his HIV medication‘s, but was told he would not be allowed to receive them,” Parker said. “I informed them of his condition and they said that he would have received these medication‘s from a doctor at ICE upon his processing.”
He said he has not been given his prescribed daily medication.
“He’s told never skip a dose,” Parker said. “Well, now he’s missed 7 days and if it comes back, it’s going to be a mutated or a version that probably is not responsive to the drugs. It’s a death sentence for him.”
Parker said when he visited Torres-Osanaya, he told him he had received no medication.
News Channel 3’s Shay Lawson contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement seeking confirmation of Torres-Osanaya’s immigration status and whether he is receiving necessary medical care.
We’re still waiting for answers.
The station also contacted the office of Congressman Raul Ruiz, who sent Parker instructions to submit a signed privacy release form so the office can open a case and request information from federal authorities.
Ruiz’s office said it cannot influence enforcement decisions but may be able to help obtain answers.
Parker said he plans to return to the Adelanto facility on Thursday.
“They better take that medicine,” Parker said.
Stay with News Channel 3 for the full report at 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.
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