The family of Daphy Michel, a 31-year-old Haitian immigrant, plans to file a lawsuit within the next two to three weeks against the United States and multiple governmental and non-governmental entities following her death in early March. Michel froze to death at a bus shelter in Pittsburgh after being released from Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody. She was discovered unresponsive three days after her release and died hours later in a hospital. Pennsylvania officials ruled her death a homicide in June, attributing it to hypothermia.
Michel had spent six months in county jail following a reported mental health crisis and street incident before being arrested by ICE. A judge dismissed charges against her and ordered her release from jail in late February. She had an immigration hearing scheduled for weeks later, but ICE arrested her upon release and transported her to its office in south Pittsburgh before releasing her with an ankle monitor. The Allegheny County medical examiner’s office characterized Michel as a vulnerable adult suffering from untreated severe mental health issues and a significant language barrier at the time of her release on February 27.
Attorney Joseph Murphy, representing Michel’s family members in the area, stated that ICE failed to consider the substantial risks involved in releasing her alone in an unfamiliar city during winter weather. Surveillance footage showed Michel at the bus shelter wearing summer clothing on a day when temperatures reached approximately 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The Department of Homeland Security, ICE’s parent agency, declined to respond to inquiries about the case and previously stated it had “nothing to do with this woman’s death.” DHS referred to Michel as an illegal alien, though Murphy contends she entered the country legally, received humanitarian status, and had an asylum application pending.
Michel’s case parallels a similar incident that occurred a week earlier in Buffalo, New York, involving a 56-year-old Rohingya refugee who was found dead after U.S. Border Patrol personnel released him at a closed coffee shop. That death was also ruled a homicide. Pittsburgh detectives are currently investigating Michel’s death.
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