MIAMI _ A 51-year-old immigration detainee died at a Miami-area hospital Wednesday _ Florida's second reported detainee death since the pandemic outbreak.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement confirmed the death Thursday afternoon but would not reveal the detainee's identity. The agency would not say if the death was COVID-19 related.
"A 51-year-old Taiwanese national in ICE custody passed away Wednesday at a Miami hospital," ICE spokeswoman Tamara Spicer told the Miami Herald in an email. "ICE appreciates consideration while details are confirmed and necessary notifications are made. Additional information will be provided as it is available."
The detainee's death is the state's second reported detainee death since March.
According to immigration sources with knowledge of the death, the Taiwanese national was receiving treatment at the medical housing unit inside the Krome detention center in West Miami-Dade before being transferred to an area hospital. The detainee was having trouble breathing.
Last month, a 51-year-old Mexican national also died in ICE custody. The Glades County detainee _ identified as Onoval Perez-Montufa _ died at a Palm Beach County hospital after testing positive for the coronavirus. Perez-Montufa's death was Florida's first reported COVID-19 death of a detainee.
As of Thursday, Glades has reported 149 COVID-19 cases, while the Krome Processing Center in Miami-Dade has reported 132 and the Broward Transitional Center in Pompano Beach has tallied 66, ICE data shows.
