This story was updated at 5 p.m.
Two members of Congress from South Florida — who on Friday visited the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach where a 44-year-old Haitian died last week while in federal custody — denounced the Trump administration for allowing what they said were “inhumane” conditions at the facility housing suspected undocumented immigrants.
“I have no faith in the leadership of the facility or ICE,” said U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami Gardens, after touring the facility with U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Miramar.
“I left [here] disappointed with what I saw and what I heard,” said Cherfilus-McCormick in a statement. “I failed to see any evidence that there were proper procedures in place and that adequate health care was provided. One single doctor to care for hundreds of detainees — with some being forced to sleep on the floor — is inhumane.”
“Marie Blaise’s tragic death will not be a one-off if these cruel conditions persist,” Cherfilus-McCormick said.
Marie Ange Blaise was pronounced dead last Friday night, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, who said in a statement that "all those [detainees] in its custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments."
Wilson expressed anger with detention facility staff who she said “didn’t want to answer any questions on Marie.”
Blaise's death, said Wilson, “is just an example of what is going to continue to happen if we let this [Trump[ administration go unchecked.”
READ MORE: Haitian immigrant dies in federal custody at Broward Transitional Center, report ICE officials
Wilson also slammed Department of Homeland Security officials for not properly overseeing the facility's management by GEO Group, a private company that runs federal prisons and detention centers across the country, including the one in Pompano Beach.
“It’s time this government pulls our contracts with GEO, the company who profits off managing countless of these blackhole detention centers, Wilson said. “And every member of Congress must visit these ICE detention centers and hold the administration accountable because they want to hide the truth from us.”
“This administration has failed to fulfill its responsibility to treat detainees with humanity and to properly maintain its own ICE facilities,” Wilson said.
“This administration has failed to fulfill its responsibility to treat detainees with humanity and to properly maintain its own ICE facilities."U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami Gardens
WLRN reached out for comment to GEO Group officials, but they did not respond.
Before touring the facility, Wilson and Cherfilus-McCormick, demanded the Trump administration conduct a thorough and speedy investigation of the circumstances leading to the Haitian woman’s death.
Others who joined the two lawmakers at a press conference were also critical of DHS and ICE officials.
“It is disconcerting and outrageous that ICE continues to put people's lives at risk, with complete disregard for their humanity,” said Tessa Petit, Executive Director of the Florida Immigrant Coalition, in a statement.
“How many deaths will it take for that Office to stop the bleeding? What will it take for them to be accountable for their inhumane actions, and to end this barbaric treatment of immigrants in and out of detention?” Petit said.
“The tragic loss of Marie Ange must serve as a catalyst for change — a change that prioritizes humanity, accountability, and the rights of all individuals,” said Mary Estimé-Irvin, Councilwoman at the City of North Miami and National Haitian American Elected Officials Network Chair.
Earlier this week, Congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick wrote a letter to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem demanding an investigation be completed by May 12.
“Ms. Blaise's life mattered, and we owe it to her and to the public to understand how such a loss occurred while she was in the care and custody of the U.S. government,” she wrote.
“The federal government holds a solemn responsibility to ensure the safety and well-being of all individuals in its custody, including those detained by ICE,” wrote Cherfilus-McCormick, the only Haitian-American in Congress.
Federal immigration authorities have released few details about Blaise's death.
ICE officials said Blaise, who had entered the U.S. illegally, was originally detained on Feb. 12, when U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents apprehended her at the Henry E. Rohlsen International Airport in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. They said she was attempting to board a flight to Charlotte, N.C.
That same day, CBP officials issued her a “Notice of Expedited Removal” for attempting to enter the country without a valid immigrant visa. She was moved Feb. 14 to San Juan, Puerto Rico, before being transferred to other detention centers. She eventually was sent to the Broward Transitional Center on April 5. She was pronounced dead Friday, April 25 at 8:35 p.m.
One detainee at the Broward facility told the Miami Herald that Blaise had been complaining about chest pains last Friday, just hours before she died. The detainee said Blaise was given some pills and sent to lie down, and was later heard “screaming ‘My chest! My chest!’”
In following protocol, ICE officials said they notified DHS, the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility and the Consulate of Haiti in Miami about Blaise’s death. DHS oversees ICE.
Blaise is one of three people who have died this year in custody of federal immigration authorities in South Florida.
Genry Donaldo Ruiz-Guillen, 29, an undocumented immigrant from Honduras, died Jan. 23. The other undocumented immigrant was Maksym Chernyak, 44, of Ukraine, who died Feb. 20. Both had been hospitalized after being housed at the Krome Detention Center in south Miami-Dade.
Three others have died in ICE custody since Oct. 1, the start of the 2025 fiscal year, according to agency data, with half of those deaths occurring since January.
