A Democratic congresswoman reported that a Chinese woman, who was detained by U.S. border officers for overstaying her visitor visa, committed suicide while being held at a border patrol station in Arizona.
Representative Pramila Jayapal of Washington stated that the woman was taken into custody in California after officers found out she had overstayed her visitor visa. This information was sourced from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. The statement further mentioned that she was then transferred to a patrol station in Yuma, Ariz.
Ms. Jayapal, a prominent member of the House subcommittee overseeing immigration, expressed concerns based on initial reports from the agency. There were doubts about whether the officers had appropriately carried out welfare checks on the woman. Ms. Jayapal said that although welfare checks were recorded, the agency’s officials investigating the death could not confirm if these checks had actually been conducted.
Ms. Jayapal remarked, “There is no justifiable reason for agents not being able to verify if some of the essential welfare checks took place — or for some of the documented welfare checks to be wrongly reported.” She also added that she was worried about the conditions in the facilities where immigrants are detained.
She further stated, “Another avoidable death only heightens that concern.”
According to the statement, the woman had entered the country on a B – 1/B – 2 visa, which is a temporary visa for individuals visiting the U.S. for tourism or business purposes.
The Customs and Border Protection agency did not respond promptly to a request for comment. A spokesman for the agency confirmed to The Tucson Sentinel the death of a 52 – year – old woman and said that the woman had become “unresponsive in a cell” at the Yuma Border Patrol Station.
The spokesman informed The Sentinel in a statement that Border Patrol staff provided medical aid to the woman, and emergency medical services took her to a hospital, where she was declared dead. The statement also mentioned that an office overseeing the agency’s conduct was looking into the incident, and the agency had reported the death to the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General.
The precise details of the woman’s initial detention were not immediately known. Border Patrol officials for the Yuma sector, which encompasses parts of California and Arizona, announced on social media last week that they had arrested two Chinese individuals, one of whom was a 52 – year – old woman, in Needles, Calif., on March 26.
As per the post, agents searched a minivan during a vehicle stop and discovered that two Chinese nationals were “illegally present in the U.S.” The agency intended to charge the two people under a law that deems certain individuals ineligible for a visa or entry into the country, including on suspicion of money laundering or other criminal activities.
More than $220,000 in cash was also seized from the van, and the agency believed the cash was related to illegal activity. However, it was not clear on Friday whether the woman arrested in Needles was the same one who died while in custody.
