After death in ICE custody, Parady La’s family demands justice

Philadelphia

At least three people protesting Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) occupations were murdered in 2026 —Keith Porter Jr., Alex Pretti and Renee Nicole Good. However, according to The Guardian on Jan. 28, another 38 people have died while in ICE custody since January 2025. Each one had a life, a family and a work history.

Parady La was one of them. The 46-year-old Cambodian father and longtime Philadelphia-area resident, brought to the U.S. by his parents at 2 years old, died at the Federal Detention Center in Philadelphia on Jan. 9 after being detained by ICE. 

On Feb. 5, several family members spoke at a press conference organized by the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Community Bail Fund, VietLead and Asian Americans United outside the facility where La was detained. His family raised significant questions regarding the circumstances leading to his death and pushed back against government officials’ claims that La was a “criminal illegal alien.”

La’s spouse, Meghan Morgan, stated: “I have known Parady for 24 years. Parady was greatly loved, and we all miss him very very much. Parady was a family man. Parady was not perfect, and he struggled with addiction, but he still always showed up for his family. To us he was a provider, a caregiver and our protector.”

Jazmine La, his daughter, recounted: “When I think of my dad and the time we spent together, the word that comes to mind is adventurous. We were always on the go when I was younger. He was always looking out for me, making sure I was taken care of all while battling his addiction. I’m grieving the loss of my dad, but I am also angry and enraged at the thought of my father suffering in a cell while the staff actively ignored his distress.”

La’s niece, Lisa, stated: “He was my babysitter, my guide and the first person I ran to for support. He showed love through his actions, making us feel seen, safe and cared for. Parady also carried pain. He tried — many trips to rehabilitation centers — because he wanted to get better. He deserved support, compassion and care. Instead, he was punished and neglected by a system that reduced him to nothing more than the dehumanizing label of ‘criminal illegal alien.’”

At the press conference, ACLU of Pennsylvania announced their filing of a Freedom of Information Act request on behalf of La’s family. Its attorneys Vanessa Stine, Keith Armstrong and Victoria Peña-Parr are asking for the release of “any and all” records from ICE and the Federal Bureau of Prisons, including La’s detention file, medical care records, autopsy report, video footage and photos, calls, emails and witness statements to help uncover the truth about La’s treatment in ICE custody.

Peña-Parr said, “We are also seeking the policies and procedures to understand why facility staff would give Narcan to a person who is going through withdrawal when that is not the medical standard.” Narcan is used for a person reacting to a drug overdose, not addiction withdrawal.

Nancy Nyugen, the executive director of VietLead, summarized the family’s demands: “Financial remuneration for the family’s utterly preventable loss; an end to in-custody ICE deaths; to restore Parady’s name and hold ICE accountable for his death; and finally, what we know needs to happen is for all of the detention centers to be shut down for good. Let’s invest in our communities, not cages.”