Rep. Summer Lee Statement on Local Migrant’s Death Ruled a Homicide

PITTSBURGH, PA - JUNE 12, 2026 - Today, Congresswoman Summer L. Lee (PA-12) released the following statement after public reporting confirmed that the Allegheny County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death of Daphy Michel, a 31-year-old Haitian immigrant who died after being released from ICE custody, a homicide. Her death was initially speculated as a drug overdose, but the Medical Examiner's finding makes clear that was false.

According to public reporting, Michel died on March 2 of hypothermia after being found at a South Shore bus shelter in Pittsburgh, where she had spent at least 24 hours in largely sub-freezing temperatures. The Medical Examiner's Office said the forensic pathologist found Michel was a vulnerable adult suffering from untreated severe mental health issues and a significant language barrier when she was released from federal custody.

"Daphy Michel was a human being. She happened to be born on the other side of a border, but she was no less worthy of care, safety, and dignity. That should not have been a death sentence. Daphy's death was preventable and is the result of a violent system that cages people, surveils them, abandons them, dehumanizes them in life, and smears them in death to escape accountability. She deserved care, shelter, language access, and medical support. ICE and every agency that failed her must answer for this. And now, as more people die in and around ICE custody, their answer is not transparency, accountability, or care, but to stop reporting the deaths of recently released detainees altogether. We may never know how many more stories like Daphy's have been hidden by a system built to disappear people. Rather than pour billions more into the agency that murdered her, we must abolish ICE and build systems rooted in equity and basic human dignity."

Michel's death comes amid growing national scrutiny of ICE detention, deportation, surveillance, and release practices, including the agency's recent decision to stop reporting deaths of recently released detainees. Advocates have warned that move will make it harder for families, communities, journalists, and lawmakers to understand the full human cost of ICE custody and supervision.

Congresswoman Summer Lee has been a leading voice in Congress demanding accountability, transparency, and an end to ICE's cruel detention and deportation system. She has called to abolish ICE and oppose billions in additional ICE funding, introduced legislation to end ICE detention and redirect funding toward care, due process, and community-based services, demanded answers from ICE after the detention of a Brentwood asylum seeker, visited and called for the closure of the Moshannon Detention Facility following reports of abuse, retaliation, and a hunger strike, andrecently conducted oversight of ICE detention conditions at Moshannon Valley ICE Detention Center after being illegally denied entry.

Congresswoman Summer Lee serves on the House Committee on Judiciary and the Committee on Education and Workforce. Since taking office in January 2023, shehas delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $2.7 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $580 million for infrastructure, over $110 million for affordable transit, over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania, and over $55 million on clean energy efforts in and around schools to help keep our kids and communities safe. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania's infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs.  Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 4,000 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.