Haitian Asylum Seeker's Death Ruled Homicide by Hypothermia
The Spin
Anti-Trump narrative
The homicide ruling on Daphy Michel's death makes clear that ICE's decision to release a severely mentally ill woman with a language barrier far from home in February was a fatal abandonment. The Trump administration's move to stop publishing data on deaths of people recently released from ICE detention looks like a deliberate effort to hide deadly negligence. Michel's death wasn't an accident.
Pro-Trump narrative
Michel had a fully charged phone, all her belongings and access to public transportation when ICE released her, meaning the agency fulfilled its obligations to her. The homicide ruling carries no criminal finding, and ICE only learned of her death after county staff refused to cooperate with federal officials. ICE had done its duty for Michel, and other agencies ignored her and the prior knowledge they had.
