Worker injured in Hard Rock Hotel collapse in New Orleans to be deported

A Honduran worker injured in the collapse of a Hard Rock Hotel under construction in New Orleans is being held for deportation, immigration authorities said Saturday.

Delmer Joel Ramirez Palma, part of a group of workers suing the developers of the structure that collapsed Oct. 12, was arrested Monday and detained for deportation, said Bryan D. Cox, acting press secretary of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

A federal judge ordered that Ramirez be returned to his home country of Honduras in 2016, Cox said.

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The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported that Ramirez was arrested by Border Patrol agents for allegedly fishing without a license at the Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge.

The lawsuit filed Friday in New Orleans civil court alleges developers, architects, engineers and others are liable for the collapse. Ramirez and five other workers are seeking damages, including pain and suffering and loss of earnings.

The suit claims the six plaintiffs “sustained serious injuries when the upper floors of the structure under construction began to fall apart, crumble, and collapse upon said workers present on the site.”

The collapse killed three people and injured at least 18, authorities said. The cause remained under investigation.

ICE’s Cox said Ramirez will receive treatment for injuries he suffered in the collapse while he is in federal custody.

Nicole Acevedo contributed.

source: nbcnews.com