Haitian Immigrant Daphy Michel Dies After ICE Release

Her Family Seeks Answers After Her Death at a Pittsburgh Bus Stop

Mar. 14, 2026 at 12:33pm

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Daphy Michel, a 31-year-old Haitian asylum seeker, was found unresponsive at a Pittsburgh bus shelter days after being processed and released alone by immigration authorities, miles from where she lived. Her brother Carlo, a Washington County resident holding Temporary Protected Status, has been seeking answers about her death.

Why it matters

Daphy Michel's case highlights systemic issues in the U.S. immigration detention system, including concerns about medical and mental health care for detainees, lack of family notification procedures, and the high number of deaths in ICE custody. Her death also comes amid legal challenges to the Temporary Protected Status program for Haitian immigrants.

The details

According to reports, Daphy Michel had been brought to Pittsburgh for ICE processing, roughly an hour's drive from where her brother Carlo lives in Washington County, after a judge dismissed all charges against her. She was then released at a bus stop. ICE has issued no public statement regarding her case, and no cause of death has been confirmed publicly. Daphy's attorney was quoted as saying that if agents drove her an hour away for processing, returning her to Washington County would have required no greater effort.

  • On March 13, 2026, Pittsburgh's Action News 4 (WTAE) confirmed Daphy's death through multiple sources.
  • On March 11, 2026, two days before the report of Daphy Michel's death, the Trump administration filed an emergency application to the US Supreme Court seeking to reinstate the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians while the case proceeds through the courts.
  • On Feb. 2, 2026, a federal judge in the District of Columbia issued a stay blocking the termination of Haiti's TPS designation, effective Feb. 3, 2026, preserving TPS holders' status while litigation continues.

The players

Daphy Michel

A 31-year-old Haitian asylum seeker who was found unresponsive at a Pittsburgh bus shelter days after being processed and released alone by immigration authorities.

Carlo Michel

Daphy's brother, a Washington County resident holding Temporary Protected Status, who has been seeking answers about her death.

Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

A form of humanitarian immigration relief that allows nationals of countries deemed unsafe to live and work legally in the U.S. For Haitians, TPS has existed in some form since 2010, following the earthquake that devastated the country, and has been continuously renewed due to ongoing violence, political instability and mass displacement.

American Immigration Council

An organization that estimates approximately 330,000 Haitian TPS holders were residing in the U.S. as of March 2025, contributing roughly $3.9 billion in total household income and paying nearly $984 million in taxes.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

The federal law enforcement agency that was responsible for processing and releasing Daphy Michel, and whose policies and procedures have been criticized in relation to her death.

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What they’re saying

“Told her brother charges were dismissed on Thursday. She doesn't come out on Friday. He gets a call on Monday that she's dead.”

— Daphy Michel's attorney (Social media accounts summarizing the WTAE report)

What’s next

The judge in the case will decide on whether to allow the Trump administration's emergency application to the US Supreme Court to reinstate the termination of Temporary Protected Status for Haitians while the case proceeds through the courts.

The takeaway

Daphy Michel's case highlights systemic issues in the U.S. immigration detention system, including concerns about medical and mental health care for detainees, lack of family notification procedures, and the high number of deaths in ICE custody. Her death also comes amid legal challenges to the Temporary Protected Status program for Haitian immigrants, which provides a lifeline for many who have fled violence and instability in their home country.