Haitian woman dies in ICE custody, Florida congresswoman demands answers
May 1 (UPI) -- A Haitian woman died last week while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody, prompting Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick to demand a full investigation into Marie Ange Blaise's death.
Blaise, 44, died Friday evening at the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach, Fla., nearly two months after being detained by ICE.
Speaking before the House on Wednesday, Cherfilus-McCormick, a Florida Democrat, rebuked President Donald Trump's ongoing crackdown on immigration, calling it "sloppy and reckless since day one," and saying it has put the lives of migrants at risk.
"I am calling for a full, transparent investigation into Marie's death, and I will be visiting the Broward Transitional Center very shortly," she said.
"It is this neglect and cruelty that is really hurting our American families, who are being even deported at this very moment. We must have transparency; we must have justice."
According to a Tuesday press release from ICE, Blaise entered the United States without admission at an unknown date and location.
On Feb. 12, Customs and Border Protection detained Blaise at the Henry E. Rohlsen International Airport in Saint Croix, Virgin Islands, while she was attempting to board a flight to Charlotte, N.C.
Blaise was issued a Notice of Expedited Removal. On Feb. 14, she was transferred to ICE custody in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Then, on Feb. 21, she was transferred to the Richwood Correctional Center in Oakdale, La., before being moved to the Pompano Beach facility on April 5.
She was pronounced dead Friday at 8:35 p.m. EDT.
The cause of death is under investigation, ICE said.
During her floor speech Wednesday, Cherfilus-McCormick suggested ICE neglect contributed to Blaise's death.
"Marie had been complaining about chest pain for hours. They gave her some pills and told her to lie down. Unfortunately, Marie never work up," she said. "Her loved ones deserve answers. They deserve accountability."
Blaise was detained and died as the Trump administration seeks to deport hundreds of thousands of undocumented migrants.
According to ICE statistics, during Trump's first 100 days in office, the federal government has deported 65,682 undocumented migrants, and agents have arrested nearly 66,500 more.
ICE states it has "significantly ramped up arrests and removals."
Cherfilus-McCormick chastised the Trump administration for holding migrants, such as Blaise, in inhumane and unsanitary facilities.
"Immigrants are being treated without basic dignity and being denied medical care," she said.
ICE said that all those in custody receive medical, dental and mental health screening and "at no time during detention is a detained illegal alien denied emergent care."
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