By VINAYA SAKSENA

CENTRAL FALLS – The death of a Wyatt Detention Facility inmate while allegedly in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody is under investigation, though it is unclear whether that probe will examine the possibility of criminal conduct leading to his death.

Hiu Lui “Jason” Ng, who was 17 when he came to the United States from his native Hong Kong in 1992, died last week while in ICE custody at Wyatt, according to the New York Times. A statement from Wyatt representatives quotes the state medical examiner as concluding that Ng died from a previously undiagnosed advanced stage cancer.
Ng (pronounced “eng”) had been a computer technician working for a company housed in the Empire State Building.  He showed up to what was supposed to be his final interview for a green card when he was apprehended on immigration charges by officers who had been waiting for him at the ICE office, the New York Times reported.
Ng had overstayed a tourist’s visa, and though his request for political asylum had been denied, his deportation was not pursued for years, according to the New York Times report. That story noted that Ng was ordered deported in 2001 after he allegedly failed to show up for an immigration court hearing. The hearing notice had reportedly been sent to the wrong address.
While in custody recently, Ng is said to have complained of back pain on numerous occasions, a pain that apparently worsened. On July 3, he was transferred from a Vermont facility that reportedly lacked a medical staff to the Donald W. Wyatt Detention Facility in Central Falls.
It has been alleged that Wyatt staff members did not take seriously Ng's complaints of increasing pain, and denied his requests for a wheelchair.
Tom Connell, a spokesperson for U.S. Attorney Robert Clark Corrente, disputed these allegations, recently put forward in a New York Times story. Defending a fellow member of Corrente's staff, Connell said,“Assistant U.S. Attorney (Richard) Myrus relayed to the court information that was represented to him, the facts as he knew them, completely and accurately.
"We stand 100 percent behind what Assistant U.S. Attorney Myrus said and did. Knowing what he knew, he did absolutely the right thing.”
Wyatt spokesman Dante Bellini declined to comment at length on the matter, but sent The Times a written statement defending the conduct of Wyatt staff.
“Mr. Ng sought and received frequent medical care in the short time he was detained at the Wyatt Detention Facility, and it was as a result of the medical care he received here that his illness was ultimately discovered,” Bellini said. “Regrettably, Mr. Ng’s illness had already progressed to a stage where doctors could not treat the illness. While we sincerely regret his untimely passing, the allegation that Mr. Ng was not provided medical care in his short detention at the Wyatt Detention Facility is wholly without merit.”
Ng attorney Theodore Cox could not be reached for comment. Andy Wong, an attorney working on the case with Cox, declined comment, in keeping with what he said were the wishes of the Ng family.
It was unclear whether legal action is being pursued. Wong said his office had not initiated any such action, but that other attorneys involved in the case may have done so. Both Bellini and ICE spokeswoman Paula Grenier said internal investigations were under way at their respective agencies.
“By way of background, all correctional facilities that house ICE detainees must comply with national ICE detention standards,” Grenier said in a statement to The Times.  “Correctional facilities administered by state and local authorities must also meet appropriate state and local standards.  Facilities that cannot meet these standards cannot be used to house ICE detainees.  Beyond this, there are also independent correctional accreditation entities, such as ACA, that work to ensure individual facilities are maintaining necessary correctional standards.”  
Both Bellini and Genier acknowledged the tragedy of Ng’s death. Connell concurred, adding that “a family has lost a loved one, so we respectfully suggest that this matter be treated with dignity, that careful examination of the facts take the place of premature, back and forth newspaper quotes.”