Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has called for a thorough investigation into the death of Marie Ange Blaise, a Haitian lady who passed away last week while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Nearly two months after being taken into custody by ICE, Blaise, 44, passed on Friday night at the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach, Florida.
Florida Democrat Cherfilus-McCormick testified before the House on Wednesday, denouncing President Donald Trump’s continuous immigration crackdown as “sloppy and reckless since day one,” claiming it has endangered the lives of migrants.
“I am calling for a full, transparent investigation into Marie’s death, and I will be visiting the Broward Transitional Center very shortly,” she stated.
“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.”
ICE said in a news release on Tuesday that Blaise entered the country illegally at an unspecified time and place.
Blaise was stopped by Customs and Border Protection on February 12 when she tried to board a flight to Charlotte, North Carolina, at the Henry E. Rohlsen International Airport in Saint Croix, Virgin Islands.
A Notice of Expedited Removal was given to Blaise. She was moved to ICE custody in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on February 14. She was then relocated to the Richwood Correctional Center in Oakdale, Louisiana, on February 21. On April 5, she was transferred to the Pompano Beach jail.
At 8:35 p.m. EDT on Friday, she was declared deceased. According to ICE, the cause of death is being looked into.
Cherfilus-McCormick made the suggestion that Blaise’s death was caused in part by ICE neglect during her floor statement on Wednesday.
“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 stated. “Her loved ones deserve answers. They deserve accountability.”
As the Trump administration works to deport hundreds of thousands of unauthorized migrants, Blaise was arrested and ultimately murdered.
The federal government has deported 65,682 undocumented migrants during Trump’s first 100 days in office, and officers have arrested about 66,500 more, according to ICE data.
The agency claims to have “significantly ramped up arrests and removals.”
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The Trump administration was criticized by Cherfilus-McCormick for detaining migrants like Blaise in filthy and cruel facilities.
“Immigrants are being treated without basic dignity and being denied medical care,” she stated.
Medical, dental, and mental health screenings are provided to all individuals detained, according to ICE, and “at no time during detention is a detained illegal alien denied emergent care.”
