Crime & justice

Haitian Asylum Seeker's Death Ruled Homicide by Hypothermia

Was this tragedy a fatal abandonment by ICE or a failure shared across multiple agencies?

Published JUN 16

Haitian Asylum Seeker's Death Ruled Homicide by Hypothermia

Story

Above: ICE agents protect vehicles as they face off with protesters during a shift change outside of Delaney Hall Immigration Detention Center in Newark, New Jersey on June 7. Image credit: Adam Gray/Getty Images

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.

Mother Jones

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.

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