Latest news with #MarieAngeBlaise
CBS News
05-07-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
South Floridians line up outside ICE facility where Haitian woman died to protest Alligator Alcatraz, Trump's immigration policies
For the second day in a row, protestors took to the streets of South Florida to speak out against the Trump administration's immigration policies. This comes after Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) received additional funding from the president's "big, beautiful bill" and after a new ICE detention center opened in the Florida Everglades this week. Questions left unanswered in detained Haitian woman's death Protestors lined up outside the Broward Transitional Center on Saturday, which is where 44-year-old Marie Ange Blaise died while in ICE custody on April 25. Immigration officials said she had entered the U.S. without permission. The cause of her death is under investigation. "We wanna make sure those things don't happen again to our children [and] to other immigrants," said organizer Widline Pierre. "We wanna make sure those things are preventable." Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus McCormick attended the protest, saying she wants a hearing to find out why Blaise died. ICE's website said seven people have died in its custody so far this year. "We also need to take a good look at what's going on within the facilities," the congresswoman said. "Right after she died we came to this facility and we looked at it. And we tried to speak to some of the medical personnel and they were very evasive. And they said that they would be providing us with information that we still have not received." Pierre said she feels immigrants are being treated unfairly. "What they're doing is not about enforcing the rules; it's about belittling the immigration communities," Pierre said. "We're being bullied." Alligator Alcatraz controversy continues The protesters here were also speaking out against the new ICE detention facility down in the Everglades: Alligator Alcatraz. It was put together in about eight days, and the first group of migrants was sent to the facility this week. Elena Munoz told CBS News Miami that the facility is inhumane since it's surrounded by alligators and pythons. "It's the worst thing for many, many things," she said. "First, it should not be in that land. First of all. Second, it's not in a safe place." On top of that, ICE got a big funding boost on Friday when President Trump signed his "big, beautiful bill" into law, which added $75 million for new ICE agents and for building more detention facilities.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Haitian woman dies in ICE custody
A Haitian woman passed away last week in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, according to federal immigration officials. Marie Ange Blaise, 44, was pronounced dead by medical professionals in Pompano Beach, Fla., on Friday last week at 8:35 p.m. local time, ICE announced on Tuesday. Blaise's cause of death is under investigation. ICE said in a statement on Tuesday that Blaise entered the U.S. without admission or parole, but did not specify the location and date. She was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the Henry E. Rohlsen International Airport in Saint Croix, U.S Virgin Islands while trying to board a flight to Charlotte, N.C., on Feb. 12. The same day, CBP issued a notice of expedited removal, an order that cannot be appealed, saying she did not have a valid immigrant visa. Blaise was transferred by CBP on Feb. 14 to ICE custody at the San Juan staging facility in Puerto Rico. The 44-year-old was then moved to custody in New Orleans and later detained her at the Richwood Correctional Center in Oakdale, La., according to ICE. She had been at Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach since April 5 at the time of her death. 'ICE remains committed to ensuring that all those in its custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments. Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay,' ICE said in a statement. ICE added that all people in their custody get 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,' the federal agency added. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
Haitian woman complaining of chest pain and told to ‘lie down' dies at ICE facility
A Haitian woman died at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility after she complained of chest pain and was told to 'lie down.' Marie Ange Blaise, 44, died while in custody at the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach, Florida, on April 25, ICE confirmed. ICE said the cause of death is under investigation, but one detainee told the Miami Herald that Blaise complained about chest pains on the day she died. 'After her blood pressure measured with a top number of 156, the detainee said, Blaise was given some pills and sent to lie down,' the Herald reports. Another detainee told the newspaper that Blaise 'started shaking' and 'screaming, 'My chest! My chest!' She was pronounced dead at 8:35 p.m. Blaise had been at the detention facility, owned by the Geo Group, since April 5 and had passed through multiple ICE detention facilities before then. According to ICE, she entered the United States on an unknown date without admission or parole. ICE said that on February 12, Blaise was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection after she tried to board a flight to Charlotte, North Carolina, from the U.S. Virgin Islands without a valid immigration visa. She was issued with a Notice of Expedited Removal and taken to an ICE staging facility in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and later moved to Richwood Correctional Center in Oakdale, Louisiana. From there, she was transferred to the Broward Transitional Center in Florida, where she died. Advocacy groups called for 'full transparency' about Blaise's death in ICE custody. 'Her death is a result of cruel inhumane policies and treatment of immigrants,' Guerline Jozef, executive director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance, said in a statement. 'We will continue to push for accountability on behalf of those who unfortunately find themselves detained, trapped without proper care or due process. We demand full transparency on the death of Ms Blaise.' ICE said that 'at no time' during detention are detainees denied emergency care. 'Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay,' ICE said in a news release. 'All people in ICE custody receive medical, dental and mental health screening and 24-hour emergency care at each detention facility.'
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Yahoo
Haitian woman dies in ICE custody at Florida detention center
Related video: 'Give her back': Family rallies after Tampa mother suddenly deported back to Cuba POMPANO BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — A Haitian woman died in the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement at a Florida detention center last week, ICE officials announced Tuesday. Marie Ange Blaise, 44, died at the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach on April 25. Her cause of death is under investigation. According to ICE, Blaise entered the U.S. without admission or parole. U.S. Customs and Border Protection stopped her as she prepared to board a flight to Charlotte, North Carolina, from an airport in Saint Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands on Feb. 12. In a statement, ICE said Blaise didn't have a valid immigrant visa. She was issued a Notice of Expedited Removal and transferred to the custody of ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations Miami at the San Juan staging facility in San Juan, Puerto Rico. 2 Florida hikers die after falling from cliff face in Utah A week later, she was taken to the Richwood Correctional Center in Oakdale, Louisiana. According to officials, Blaise had been at the Broward Transitional Center since April 5. 'ICE remains committed to ensuring that all those in its custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments,' ICE said in the statement. '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.' Data showed that at least six others have died in ICE custody in fiscal 2025, which began in October. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
30-04-2025
- The Hill
Haitian woman dies in ICE custody
A Haitian woman passed away last week in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody, according to federal immigration officials. Marie Ange Blaise, 44, was pronounced dead by medical professionals in Pompano Beach, Fla., on Friday last week at 8:35 p.m. local time, ICE announced on Tuesday. Blaise's cause of death is under investigation. ICE said in a statement on Tuesday that Blaise entered the U.S. without admission or parole, but did not specify the location and date. She was stopped by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) at the Henry E. Rohlsen International Airport in Saint Croix, U.S Virgin Islands while trying to board a flight to Charlotte, N.C., on Feb. 12. The same day, CBP issued a notice of expedited removal, an order that cannot be appealed, saying she did not have a valid immigrant visa. Blaise was transferred by CBP on Feb. 14 to ICE custody at the San Juan staging facility in Puerto Rico. The 44-year-old was then moved to custody in New Orleans and later detained her at the Richwood Correctional Center in Oakdale, La., according to ICE. She had been at Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach since April 5 at the time of her death. 'ICE remains committed to ensuring that all those in its custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments. Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay,' ICE said in a statement. ICE added that all people in their custody get 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,' the federal agency added.
