Migrant Dies In ICE Detention In Florida: What To Know

A Haitian woman died in the custody of federal immigration authorities on Friday at the Broward Transitional Center in Deerfield Beach.

Newsweek has contacted U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the GEO Group for comment via email outside of normal office hours.

Why It Matters

The death raises serious questions over medical care for those in ICE custody. In Fiscal Year 2025, there have been at least 6 deaths in ICE custody. Newsweek has previously revealed allegations of abuse at ICE-run detention centers in California that are operated by CoreCivic and Geo Group, including claims of sexual assault, medical neglect, and mistreatment of migrants. The companies previously assured Newsweek that they take their obligations very seriously and investigate any accusations.

What To Know

Marie Ange Blaise, 44, was pronounced dead at 8:35 p.m. on April 25, according to a press release issued by ICE.

Authorities have not yet released a cause of death and said it remains under investigation.

Blaise had been complaining of chest pains on Friday, an inmate at the detention center told the Miami Herald. According to the detainee, her blood pressure was recorded at 156, after which she was given medication and told to lay down, said the newspaper.

The detainee said they saw her trembling and screaming, “My chest! My chest!”

Blaise had been held at the Broward Transitional Center, operated by The GEO Group, since April 5. According to the agency, she was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection while attempting to board a flight from Saint Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands to Charlotte, North Carolina, without a valid immigrant visa.

ICE took her into custody on February 14, initially detaining her in San Juan, Puerto Rico, transferring her to a facility in Oakdale, Louisiana, before she was moved to the Broward center in Deerfield Beach.

ICE said in a press release that they do not know when or where she entered the county “without admission or parole” from Haiti.

Haiti is facing severe political instability and a sharp rise in gang violence, plunging much of the nation into crisis. Armed groups now control roughly 80 percent of the capital, Port-au-Prince, carrying out kidnappings, extortion, and violent confrontations with security forces.

The 2021 assassination of President Jovenal Moïse increased the country’s political instability, leaving a power vacuum that has yet to be filled. The ongoing humanitarian crisis is worsened by widespread poverty, food insecurity, and a crumbling health care system, displacing over a million people from their homes in search of safety.

What People Are Saying

Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, an advocacy group, said: “Our hearts break by the unfortunate death of Ms Marie Angie Blaise. Our sincere condolences to her family, loved ones and the entire immigrant community. Her death is a result of cruel inhumane policies and treatment of immigrants. We will continue to push for accountability on behalf of those who unfortunately find themselves detained, trapped without proper care or due process.

ICE wrote in a press release: “Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay. All people in ICE custody receive medical, dental and mental health screening and 24-hour emergency care at each detention facility. At no time during detention is a detained illegal alien denied emergent care.”