The Chinese government is seeking answers after Lianyong Wei, a 51-year-old Chinese man, died hours after being taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in the Northern Mariana Islands. Wei died on August 23 at a hospital, according to an ICE news release issued on September 2. Wei was arrested on August 21 by the Northern Mariana Islands Department of Public Safety on criminal charges related to an alleged assault on a family of five. He was transferred to ICE custody the following day pending removal proceedings.
ICE reported that a guard found Wei unresponsive during routine checks on August 23. He was taken to a hospital emergency room, where he was pronounced dead after attempts at life-sustaining interventions. The cause of death is currently under investigation. Wei had entered the U.S. territory in February 2019 and was initially authorized to stay for two weeks. Removal proceedings began in July 2026, with his next hearing scheduled for this month.
The Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles has expressed serious concerns regarding the incident and is calling for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding Wei's death, as well as measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. Wei's death marks at least the fifth instance of a Chinese national dying in ICE or U.S. Border Patrol custody since March 2025, with two of the previous deaths ruled as suicides and the others attributed to medical complications. Since January 2025, at least 57 ICE detainees have died, raising alarms among public health experts and immigrant advocates.
ICE has not confirmed whether Wei received the required medical intake screening within his first 12 hours in custody, which is crucial for preventing deaths. The agency has also not explained the delay in acknowledging Wei's death, which was reported by Northern Mariana Islands authorities on August 24. ICE typically aims to issue news releases regarding detainee deaths within two business days. The detention facility in Saipan has held an average of 18 ICE detainees daily this year, while the Northern Mariana Islands has a population of approximately 50,000. Following this incident, Northern Mariana Islands corrections commissioner Anthony Torres stated that the Department is reviewing relevant procedures to implement necessary corrective actions.