The Chinese government is formally demanding answers following the death of a 51-year-old Chinese national who passed away just hours after being placed into the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Lianyong Wei died on August 23 at a hospital in the Northern Mariana Islands.
Wei had been arrested by the Northern Mariana Islands Department of Public Safety on August 21. His arrest followed criminal charges related to an alleged assault on a family of five at their private residence. The following day, he was transferred into ICE custody to await removal proceedings. Reports indicate that during routine morning checks on August 23, a guard at the Saipan lockup discovered Wei unresponsive. He was transported to a hospital emergency room where, despite the initiation of life-sustaining interventions, he was pronounced dead. The specific cause of his death remains under investigation.
Wei had entered the U.S. territory in February 2019 with authorization to stay for two weeks. Federal authorities initiated formal removal proceedings in July 2026, and a hearing for his case had been scheduled for this month. The Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles confirmed it had been notified of the death. In a statement, the consulate expressed serious concerns to U.S. authorities, calling for a timely and thorough investigation into the circumstances, the disclosure of findings, and the implementation of measures to prevent similar future incidents. They also requested assistance for the family of the deceased.
The death of Wei marks at least the fifth instance of a Chinese national dying in the custody of ICE or the U.S. Border Patrol since March 2025. Of the previous four cases, two were ruled as suicides, while the other two were attributed to medical complications. Since January 2025, at least 57 detainees have died while in ICE custody, a trend that has drawn criticism from immigrant advocates and public health experts.
While ICE maintains a policy of providing medical intake screenings to all detainees within their first 12 hours of custody, the agency has not confirmed whether Wei received this assessment. Medical experts emphasize that such screenings are vital for preventing custodial deaths. Furthermore, the delay in reporting the incident has been noted, as the Northern Mariana Islands authorities announced the death on August 24, yet ICE did not acknowledge it for more than a week. Northern Mariana Islands corrections commissioner Anthony Torres stated that his department is currently reviewing procedures and will implement corrective actions to improve prevention and response measures.
