Homicide Ruling Linked to Haitian Asylum Seeker’s Hypothermia Death After ICE Release

A medical examiner has classified the death of a Haitian asylum seeker in Pennsylvania, who died after being released from federal custody, as a homicide.

An attorney for her family indicated plans to sue Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in relation to her death, though a DHS spokesperson emphasized via email that ICE had “NOTHING to do with this woman’s death,” noting she passed away three days after their last contact.

Daphy Michel, 31, a Haitian national who sought asylum in the U.S. after arriving at the southern border in 2022, succumbed to hypothermia on 2 March. She was discovered at a Pittsburgh bus shelter. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office concluded her death was caused by the actions of another individual, consistent with a homicide classification.

The office stressed that this determination does not imply criminal culpability.

Michel applied for humanitarian parole due to urgent humanitarian needs but did not survive a scheduled hearing two weeks post-release. Her release on 27 February left her vulnerable, as she struggled with untreated mental health conditions and a significant language barrier, according to the examiner’s report.

Michel had been arrested the prior summer for behavior linked to her psychiatric challenges, including yelling at imagined figures. She spent six months in Washington County Jail undergoing psychiatric evaluations while awaiting her first hearing, her attorney stated.

A magistrate dismissed her case due to lack of evidence, per Murphy. However, ICE detained her again in her cell, fitted her with an ankle monitor, and transferred her 25 miles to Pittsburgh. In freezing February temperatures, she was reportedly dressed in September clothes, leading to exposure that precipitated hypothermia, her lawyer alleged.

“She was in September clothes and it was February, and the weather overwhelmed her and she went into hypothermia,” Murphy said.

The homicide classification signifies that another party’s actions or inaction contributed to her death, Murphy explained. He confirmed the family intends to pursue litigation against ICE.

The DHS spokesperson, Lauren Bis, disputed ICE’s involvement: “She passed away THREE days after ICE encountered her.” She noted Michel was released with belongings, a charged phone, and access to public transit. ICE learned of her death via media, citing that her ankle monitor was tampered with the day after her passing. Uncooperative local medical examiners prevented ICE from engaging with officials, the spokesperson claimed.

Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato condemned the death as “a tragedy and appears that with a little humanity, it could have been completely avoidable.” Democratic Pennsylvania Rep. Summer Lee called it “preventable,” stressing Michandeserved access to shelter, medical care, and language support.

ICE no longer publishes death reports for detainees released within 30 days, a policy discontinued during President Biden’s administration. Public health experts warn this change may obscure actual mortality rates without resolving systemic gaps in care.

Source link