Conflicting records and testimony are raising questions about the death of a Haitian woman in U.S. immigration custody in Broward County this spring.
Marie Ange Blaise, 44, died on April 25 at 8:35 p.m. while detained at the Broward Transitional Center, a for-profit detention facility funded by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
While ICE records blame Blaise for failing to take prescribed blood pressure medication on multiple occasions, her son told Broward investigators that she said she couldn’t get a doctor to see her on the day of her death. Additionally, another detainee told a human rights group that the medical response to Blaise was severely delayed.
WLRN reached out to Blaise’s family for comment but did not hear back. ICE did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.
The Broward County Office of the Medical Examiner ruled Blaise’s death as natural, stemming from high blood pressure and cardiovascular disease.
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Hours before she died, Blaise’s son spoke to his mother on the phone, according to the medical examiner’s report.
“She complained of having chest pains and abdominal cramps, and when she asked the detention staff to see a physician, they refused her,” he told investigators. Blaise had been having chest pain for about a month, he said.
South Florida Democratic lawmakers previously called for a “transparent” investigation into her death. It’s unclear if ICE and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) intends to investigate further, beyond the “Detainee Death Report” that the agency has issued.
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Miramar, who has pressed ICE for an investigation, did not respond to requests for comment.
In May, after she and Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami Gardens, toured the facility, she said in a statement she “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,” she said. “Marie Blaise’s tragic death will not be a one-off if these cruel conditions persist.”
In early February, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol arrested Blaise at an airport in the U.S. Virgin Islands as she was attempting to board a flight to Charlotte, N.C. Blaise had no criminal history.
Documents from ICE’s report, the medical examiner’s investigation, and a recent Human Rights Watch report help establish a timeline on what occurred after that.
ICE: Blaise didn’t take necessary meds
Shortly after detaining her on Feb. 12, border patrol agents took Blaise to a hospital in St. Croix “for elevated blood pressure,” the ICE report states.
The report doesn’t say what led up to her hospitalization or what happened after, but two days later, border patrol transferred Blaise to ICE custody.
On Feb. 14, ICE took Blaise to San Juan, Puerto Rico, then to Miami. A week later, they transferred her to an immigration detention center in Oakdale, Louisiana.
From there, medical staff screened Blaise for hypertension and prescribed her blood pressure medication.
The ICE report claimed Blaise refused to take that medication.
She saw a physician again on March 5, who instructed her “on the importance of diet and exercise, medication compliance, and scheduled a follow-up appointment,” the ICE report said.
In the days after, she refused her blood pressure medication nine times, the government report states.
According to Blaise’s son, her mother was hospitalized for high blood pressure while in Louisiana. The ICE report does not mention any such trip.
In early April, ICE transferred Blaise to the Broward Transitional Center, a facility run by the Boca Raton-based company, GEO Group. On April 7, medical staff increased her blood pressure medication and requested further tests. About a week later, she saw another physician there, who also told her she needed to take her medicine, exercise and avoid “salty snacks and processed foods.”
She wasn’t seen again by medical staff until the day she collapsed.
Conflicting stories, reports
While ICE’s report paints a picture of a woman who refused repeated offers for medical help, descriptions by the Broward medical examiner and Human Rights Watch complicate that narrative.
At around 6 p.m. on April 25 the day of her death, Blaise had taken blood pressure medications, 75mg of Hydralazine. Two hours later, she took 10mg of Norvasc — another such medication for high blood pressure.
After taking the second round of medicine, something seemed off.
“The detainees stated (Blaise) looked different, she seemed off and even moved aggressively towards one of the detainees but then stopped, she made no physical contact, then went unresponsive to the floor,” the medical examiner wrote.
As part of an examination of Florida detention centers, Human Rights Watch interviewed a Honduran woman who witnessed Blaise’s death from a nearby cell. The group interviewed her before she was deported, under the pseudonym “Rosa,” to protect her identity and immigration case.
“We started yelling for help, but the guards ignored us,” Rosa said, after Blaise collapsed.
“Finally, one officer approached slowly, looked at her without intervening, and then walked away. After that, it took eight minutes for the medical provider to arrive, and then another 15 or 20 before the rescue team came,” she reportedly said .”By then, she was not moving.”
Blaise was pronounced dead shortly after.
Human Rights Watch claimed that Blaise’s death violated ICE standards for humane treatment of detainees and prompt medical response.
Blaise was the third person to die in ICE custody in South Florida in 2025.
In a statement announcing Blaise’s death on April 29, ICE said it provides comprehensive medical care to people throughout their detention.
“ICE remains committed to ensuring that all those in its custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments,” the statement said. “At no time during detention is a detained illegal alien denied emergent care.”
