Miami, United States, (EFE).- A 44-year-old Haitian woman who was in United States immigration custody after being arrested at an airport in the US Virgin Islands has died at a detention center in Florida, US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced Tuesday.
Marie Ange Blaise, born in Haiti, was pronounced dead on the night of Friday, Apr. 25, by medical staff at the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach, a city north of Miami.
ICE said the cause of death is under investigation and did not disclose information about her medical condition before her ing.
Blaise was initially detained on Feb. 12 by officers from US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at Henry E. Rohlsen International Airport in St. Croix, US Virgin Islands, as she attempted to board a flight to Charlotte, North Carolina.
That same day, CBP issued an expedited removal order, determining that Blaise did not have legal authorization to remain in the US.
On Feb. 14, she was transferred to ICE custody and held at the San Juan Detention Center in Florida, where she died less than three weeks later.
The agency has not said whether Blaise had requested asylum or expressed fear of returning to Haiti, a country currently facing widespread gang violence, political instability, and a humanitarian crisis.
Human rights advocates frequently criticize US immigration authorities for detaining Haitians for prolonged periods and deporting them despite conditions in their home country.
Activists in Florida have long denounced poor conditions, inadequate medical care, and overcrowding in ICE facilities across the state.
In late March, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Krome North Detention Center in Miami to demand ability from ICE, especially in the wake of two immigrant deaths at the facility earlier in 2025.
The Broward Transitional Center, where Blaise died, is a privately operated facility that primarily holds non-criminal immigration detainees.
It has faced scrutiny in the past over medical neglect and treatment of detainees. ICE stated that it would release additional information following the completion of an autopsy and internal review.
Blaise’s death adds to a growing number of fatalities in ICE custody in recent years.
In 2023, the agency reported 11 deaths in detention, amid mounting pressure from immigrant rights groups to reform the system and limit the use of detention in civil immigration enforcement.
The case is likely to renew calls for increased oversight of immigration detention facilities, particularly those operated by private contractors.
Advocates argue that vulnerable migrants, including women and those with health conditions, should not be subjected to extended detention, especially in facilities with documented health and safety issues.
As of early 2025, ICE detention centers are filled at 47,600 detainees across dozens of facilities in the US and its territories according to a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement official. EFE
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