April 6 (UPI) — A 52 year-old Chinese woman who was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in Arizona committed suicide, and agents failed to perform welfare checks, officials announced
Pramila Jayapal, D-Wa., said Wednesday that the agency did not announce the death or release details until officials were contacted by the Tucson Sentinel.
She said video surveillance shows the woman making a noose and hanging herself in a bathroom stall. But CBP countered that the incident took place outside the view of cameras.
“When Customs and Border Protection agents take a person into custody, they are responsible for their well-being, full stop,” said Jayapal, who is the ranking member of the House Immigration, Integrity, Security and Enforcement Subcommittee.
“This detainee died by suicide, and initial reports have indicated that certain CBP procedures to ensure the safety and welfare of individuals in custody were not conducted, she said in a statement released by her office.
“There is no excuse for why agents cannot verify if some of the necessary welfare checks occurred – or why some of the documented welfare checks were incorrectly reported,” the statement continued.
The woman, whose identity has not been released, had been detained Wednesday following a traffic stop near Needles, Calif., and was transported to Yuma, Ariz. Border Patrol station where she was detained until her death, the Sentinel reported.
CBP confirmed the woman’s death in a statement to the Sentinel Thursday night, the paper reported.
A day before the death, CBP announced they had arrested two Chinese nationals and seized $220,000 in cash during a traffic stop in Needles, according to an agency Facebook post.
The money was concealed in two bundles of aluminum foil in a duffle bag in a minivan, officers said. The agency said there were 4 Chinese nationals in the vehicle, two of whom were determined to be in the United States illegally.
The agency said officials believe the cash proceeds from illegal activity and was “seized for laundering.”
The woman who committed suicide had overstayed her short term B1/B2 visa, commonly used for business or tourism, the agency said.
CBP said it takes the deaths of detainees seriously and is investigating.
“Additional information will be made available in accordance with CBP’s policy,” a CBP spokesman said.
