As confirmed by Pittsburgh Action News 4, Daphy Michel, a 31-year-old asylum seeker from Haiti, was found unresponsive at a Pittsburgh bus shelter just shortly after 10:00 a.m. on March 2. Her older brother, Carlo, is looking for answers following her sudden death after she was handed over to ICE’s custody following her release from the Washington County Jail.
Port Authority Police stated that maintenance workers at the Monongahela Incline, a type of cable railway system under the Smithfield Street Bridge, spotted Michel lying on the ground of a bus shelter not breathing and with no pulse on Monday morning. According to Port Authority Police, officers attempted life-saving measures using CPR, an AED, and Narcan before Michel was taken to UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in critical condition.
Before her death, Michel was at the Washington County Jail in Washington, PA, for nearly six months on a $10,000 bond. Court documents show that one of Michel’s neighbors reported that she was experiencing mental health episodes in September last year. After having her preliminary hearing continued seven times while awaiting a mental health evaluation, she finally appeared before a judge on February 26.
At the hearing, the judge dismissed Michel’s two misdemeanor harassment and threat charges. According to WTAE, her brother was relieved and waited for the call of his sister’s release to be processed.
However, just four days after the dismissal of her charges, he would instead receive a call from UPMC Hospital.
A doctor asked if he recognized Daphy Michel, and after notifying them that Michel was his sister, the doctor and an interpreter gave him the unfortunate news of her passing. According to the doctor, her death was due to cardiac arrest.
The Washington County Public Defender’s Office stated that Michel had an ICE detainer on her file, a formal request from ICE that the agency be notified before an individual is released from law enforcement custody or jail.
ICE confirmed that the day after Michel’s charges were dismissed, she was enrolled in the agency’s “Alternatives to Detention Program” at the ERO Pittsburgh Office. She was placed on reporting requirements through electronic monitoring while her original immigration proceedings remained pending.
Based on reporting, Michel was released into ICE’s custody on Friday, February 27, following her release from the Washington County Jail at 100 West Cherry Avenue. She was transported roughly an hour away to the ICE Pittsburgh Office on 3000 Sidney Street.
Because she had not broken immigration law, she was not processed for a detained deportation proceeding. Instead, she was placed on an Alternative to Detention Program, possibly being taken five minutes away to the ISAP office on 2500 Jane Street.
According to immigration and civil rights attorney Joseph Murphy, who is working with Carlo, a private contractor is paid to put ankle monitors on non-citizens with pending immigration cases at the ISAP office. Michel was placed under surveillance via an ankle monitor.
At some point, she was released and then found dead on Monday. Michel lived at least an hour away from the ICE Pittsburgh office. There are many questions left to be answered to specify the exact details between her release into ICE custody and her death. Her complete autopsy and toxicology results may take several weeks.
Daphy Michel was paroled into the United States through a legal port of entry on December 14, 2022, meaning she entered under a discretionary authorization that allows a non-citizen to enter the country for urgent humanitarian reasons. She was confirmed to appear before a judge in Florida on April 16 for a hearing on her immigration case.
