ICE detainee dies just hours after he was admitted into detention

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building as seen on January 07, 2026 in Washington, DC. Heather Diehl/Getty Images North America hide caption

A Chinese immigrant was found dead just hours after being booked into immigration detention in a U.S. territory, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Lianyong Wei , was arrested by the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Department of Public Safety on Aug. 21, after allegedly attacking a family in their home, officials said. A day later, Wei, whose legal immigration status ended in 2019, was taken into custody "without incident, pending his removal proceedings."

The 51-year-old was found unresponsive during morning checks the next day by a corrections officer at the Saipan facility, run by the Northern Mariana Islands Department of Corrections. Wei was pronounced dead at approximately 7:30 a.m. local time on Aug. 23.

Wei marks the 57th death of an immigrant detainee held in the care of the government since the start of President Trump's second term, according to ICE's detainee death notifications . Twenty-four of those have occurred since Jan. 1.

After he was discovered "Wei was immediately transported to the Commonwealth Health Care Corporation Emergency Room and life-sustaining interventions were initiated," according to ICE.

Under Department of Homeland Security regulations, all immigrant detainees must receive a basic health screening within 12 hours of intake. DHS declined to respond to requests to verify that Wei had undergone such an evaluation.

Instead, they offered the following standard language: "Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay."