ICE detainee dies just hours after he was admitted into detention

Wei was arrested on Aug. 21 by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Department of Public Safety after allegedly attacking a family in their home. The following day, ICE took him into custody pending removal proceedings. A corrections officer found him unresponsive during morning checks at the Northern Mariana Islands Department of Corrections facility, and he was pronounced dead at approximately 7:30 a.m. Local time.

ICE reported no incident during the intake process. The circumstances surrounding his death have not been detailed in the agency's public account.

Wei's death is the 57th death of an immigrant detainee in government custody since the start of President Trump's second term. Twenty-four of those deaths have occurred since January 1 of this year, a pace that puts 2025 on track to be among the deadliest years on record for immigration detention fatalities. For people following enforcement nationally, that works out to nearly one detainee death every week so far this calendar year.