A 44-year-old Haitian woman, Marie Ange Blaise, has died while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody at the Broward Transitional Center in Florida, raising concerns about medical neglect and the treatment of immigrants in detention.
Blaise was pronounced dead on the night of Friday, April 25, 2025, after reportedly experiencing chest pain for hours. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., the first Haitian-American in Congress, stated on the House floor Wednesday, April 30, that ICE staff allegedly failed to provide Blaise with appropriate emergency care.
“Marie had been complaining about chest pain for hours,” Cherfilus-McCormick said. “They gave her some pills and told her to go lie down. Unfortunately, Marie never woke up.”
ICE confirmed Blaise’s death on Tuesday, April 29, but said her cause of death remains under investigation.
In a public statement, the agency insisted that “at no time during detention” is a detainee denied urgent care, adding that detainees receive medical, dental, and mental health screenings, as well as access to 24-hour emergency care.
However, Cherfilus-McCormick is calling for a full, independent investigation into the circumstances of Blaise’s death and plans to visit the Pompano Beach facility.
“Her loved ones deserve answers,” she said. “They deserve accountability — like so many immigrant families who have their loved ones missing and who are hurt.”
Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., also expressed outrage, tweeting that she was “heartbroken and furious” and urging Congress to conduct oversight visits to detention centers.
“How many more stories do we have to hear of immigrants being mistreated at these black hole detention centers?” Wilson asked. “When are we going to get answers?”
Transferred Multiple Times Before Her Death
According to ICE, Blaise had entered the U.S. without proper documentation. She was initially apprehended on February 12, 2025, by U.S. Customs and Border Protection at the airport in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, while attempting to fly to Charlotte, N.C.
CBP issued her a Notice of Expedited Removal the same day, citing inadmissibility. She was transferred to ICE custody in Puerto Rico, then moved to the Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana, where she was held for over a month. On April 5, she was transferred to the Broward Transitional Center in Florida. She died there less than three weeks later.
ICE reports that Blaise is the seventh person to die in its custody since the start of the 2025 fiscal year — with half of those deaths occurring since January.
Amid Broader Immigration Crackdown
Blaise’s death comes as the Trump administration intensifies its immigration enforcement efforts. ICE announced Wednesday that it had detained 66,463 undocumented individuals and deported 65,682 of them during President Trump’s first 100 days in office.
Tricia McLaughlin, assistant secretary of public affairs for the Department of Homeland Security, told NPR that “there will be more deportations ahead,” describing the administration’s approach as a cultural shift that is “seeing success.”
But critics argue that the increasingly aggressive tactics have triggered fear in immigrant communities and contributed to preventable tragedies, such as Blaise’s death.
Civil rights groups and lawmakers alike continue to push for independent investigations and humane treatment standards in ICE detention centers.
A GoFundMe has been set up to raise money to transport Blaise’s body back to her home in California for a proper funeral and burial.
