Death of Haitian Woman Released by ICE Ruled Homicide After Fatal Hypothermia, Family Eyes Legal Action

NEWARK, NEW JERSEY - JUNE 02: Protesters raise their fists during a demonstration down the road from the federal immigration center at Delaney Hall in Newark, where ICE is housing detained immigrants on June 02, 2026 in Newark, New Jersey. The city of Newark lifted a curfew Tuesday evening, allowing protesters to gather again in front of Delaney Hall. Despite the state police taking over security outside, the protests have become increasingly tense, and come amid reports of poor living conditions inside the facility for the detainees. (Credit: Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

A Pennsylvania medical examiner has ruled that the death of a Haitian asylum seeker who died days after being released from federal immigration custody was a homicide, a finding that has prompted calls for accountability and could lead to legal action against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Daphy Michel, 31, died on March 2 after she was found at a bus shelter in Pittsburgh. The Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office determined that her cause of death was hypothermia and classified the manner of death as homicide, meaning the death resulted from another person's actions or failure to act.