Marie Ange Blaise

October 20, 1980 / April 25, 2025

Marie Ange Blaise was a Haitian citizen who was detained by ICE while trying to board a plane to Charlotte, North Carolina from Henry E. Rohlsen International Airport, in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. She had no criminal record, aside from illegal entry into the US.

Records show that she was transferred to at least four different detention centers over the course of the two months that she was in ICE custody.

ICE Death reports repeatedly blame Marie for her death because of her refusal to take medication, but accounts from her son, other detainees that were present during the time leading up to her death as well as the Broward County Medical Examiner provide conflicting stories. When interviewed, her son says that he spoke with her on the day of her death and reported that she had told him that she had been experiencing chest and abdominal pain, but was denied the opportunity to see a doctor. He also stated that he spoke with her while she was hospitalized for high blood pressure, but this visit was not recorded in ICE’s death report.

Additionally, a detainee from a neighboring cell, who witnessed Marie’s death told Human Rights Watch that treatment for Marie was severely delayed. She also said that at the time of her death multiple detainees yelled for help, but were ultimately ignored by guards.

Finally, the Broward County Medical Examiner’s description of events leading up to Marie’s death state that Marie exhibited signs of an allergic reaction to one of the medications that had been prescribed to her, which may have been the reason she was reluctant to take it.

Several South Florida lawmakers have publicly called for an investigation into Marie’s death, their public letter regarding the call is linked to below.