A Haitian national, detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, has been pronounced dead while under their custody, per an official statement from the agency. The detainee, Marie Ange Blaise, 44, passed away in the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach, Florida, last Friday, at around 8:35 p.m. Investigations into the cause of death are currently underway, as stated by an ICE news release.
According to the timeline provided by ICE, Blaise's presence in the U.S. was first flagged when she was attempting to board a flight from Saint Croix to Charlotte without a valid visa. Following an expedited removal notice issued on February 12, Blaise was transferred between various ICE enforcement and removal operations, before her last relocation to the facility in Pompano Beach. In accordance with their policies, ICE has notified several entities including the DHS Office of Inspector General and the Consulate of Haiti in Miami about Blaise's untimely passing.
The agency has emphasized its commitment to the humane treatment of detainees, asserting that comprehensive medical care is available to all individuals from the moment they arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay. Furthermore, they claim that at no point is emergency care denied to detainees. This narrative, however, is likely to be scrutinized given the circumstances of Blaise's death and previous controversies surrounding the healthcare provisions in ICE facilities.
Consistent with the standards set by the 2018 DHS Appropriations Bill, ICE is mandated to publicly report all in-custody deaths within a 90-day period. The report on Blaise's death will be publicly accessible through the ICE Detainee Death Reporting page.
