POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – An investigation is underway after Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said a Haitian woman died at a South Florida federal facility.
Marie Ange Blaise, 44, died at the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach on Friday.
Rev. Luke Harrigan, who ministers at the low-security facility, said he was there over the weekend and said another inmate told him that Blaise was complaining of not feeling well and soon after witnessed her death.
“Her friend said, ‘Something’s hurting, come to my room,’ and as soon as she got in there, she said, ‘OK, something is hurting me,” Harrigan said. “And she collapsed and died.”
“Nobody knows exactly how,” he said.
Immigration authorities say Blaise came to the U.S. from Haiti illegally without parole.
On Feb. 12, she was met by officials at an airport in the U.S. Virgin Islands and was later transferred to facilities in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Oakdale, Louisiana, before being taken to the BTC on April 5.
Records show two other inmates died in ICE custody at the Krome Detention Center in southwest Miami-Dade.
U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Florida, who recently toured that facility, said in a statement to Local 10 News that she is “heartbroken and furious” over Blaise’s death.
“How many more stories do we have to hear of immigrants being mistreated at these black hole detention centers?” she asked. “When are we going to get answers?”
ICE officials said the cause of Blaise’s death is under investigation.
In the meantime, Harrigan said his goal is to help Blaise’s loved ones plan a funeral.
“We’re going to bury her dignity and respect (and) do whatever we can,” he said.
Harrigan said Blaise’s death is bringing South Florida’s Haitian community together.