Members of Congress are launching an investigation into what happened during a six-month healthcare payment lapse and whether it contributed to his death.
U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez is the ranking member of the Veterans Affairs and Oversight committee, and said she is now launching an investigation into why she says vital medical care was delayed for months for ICE detainees because of a lapse in payment processing by the VA.
That payment processing gap was at the center of an ABC7 Chicago I-Team investigation into the death of Nenko Gantchev reported earlier this month.
"Nenko Gantchev, an Illinois resident, one of my constituents, died detained at the for-profit GEO Group's North Lake Processing Center," Ramirez told the I-Team. "He died during that period of lapse. So, the question to me is how many people have not received the care necessary, have died or been, you know, or been at risk of dying because of the negligence from ICE."
As the I-Team previously reported, Gantchev died while in ICE custody on Dec. 15, 2025. His family told the I-Team weeks before his death, staff at the North Lake Processing Center had detected abnormal cardiac readings and referred Gantchev for an echocardiogram. Gantchev's family says that never happened.
A Michigan Medical Examiner ruled the manner of death "natural," caused by a heart attack with Gantchev's type two diabetes listed as a "contributory condition."
Ramirez said she's still seeking answers.
"The circumstances surrounding his death are yet not clear," Ramirez said. "And ICE hasn't actually provided the answers to the family or to Congress, even though it's been more than five months since this happened. But he died during that period of lapse."
From October 2025 through May 2026, ICE lost its ability to process payments to physicians, and pharmacies for offsite medical care for people held in detention. This payment processing gap occurred during a rapid increase in the number of people detained by ICE in Chicago and nationwide.
Watch the I-Team's investigation into Gantchev's death here:
Family seeks answers months after Chicago business owner dies in ICE custody
Government records reviewed by the I-Team show ICE officials called the payment processing gap, "an absolute emergency... lack of this support will delay critical medical care for (detainees)."
Ramirez, along with Congressman Mark Takano, D-California, opened an investigation into this payment processing gap earlier this month, looking at whether "ICE's failure to pay its bills for months caused medical providers to deny services to ICE detainees," the lawmakers said.
Ramirez also said they were requesting information into whether there is currently a backlog of unprocessed claims for people in ICE detention.
"This is not an isolated situation of Mr. Gantchev," Ramirez said. "This is happening across the board. It is the deadliest year in (ICE) detention in U.S. history."
Reviewing ICE detainee death reports, the I-Team found at least 45 people have died in ICE detention centers from the start of President Donald Trump's second administration through mid-July.
During President Trump's first administration, the average number of in-custody deaths per year was 12.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security told the I-Team, "The lapse in payment did NOT affect (Gantchev's) medical care" and "there have been no spike in deaths."
Ramirez told the I-Team, "Families want answers. They want to know, when you take my loved one, will he or she die in detention? Will this woman miscarry because she's not going into care she needs? Which is why I think that investigation that we've called for is incredibly important."