China Demands Answers After Man Dies Hours Into ICE Custody

A 51-year-old Chinese national died at a hospital hours after guards found him unresponsive in an ICE lockup in Saipan, prompting Beijing to demand an investigation.

Lianyong Wei, 51, died Aug. 23 at a hospital in the Northern Mariana Islands hours after guards found him unresponsive during routine morning checks at the ICE lockup in Saipan, the agency announced Tuesday. Wei was arrested Aug. 21 by the Northern Mariana Islands Department of Public Safety on criminal charges stemming from an alleged assault on a family of five at their home, according to ICE, and was taken into ICE custody the next day pending removal proceedings. ICE said life-sustaining interventions were initiated at the emergency room but the cause of death is under investigation.

The case is notable for how quickly and pointedly Beijing responded. The Chinese Consulate General in Los Angeles said it had expressed serious concerns to US authorities and demanded a timely and thorough investigation, notification of the findings, measures to prevent recurrence, and assistance to Wei's family. It is also the pace of the disclosure that stands out: Wei's death was announced by local authorities on Aug. 24, yet according to the AP's reporting it took ICE more than a week to acknowledge it, despite the agency's stated goal of releasing detainee-death news within two business days.

Wei entered the US territory in February 2019 and was authorized to stay for two weeks, according to ICE. US authorities began removal proceedings in July 2026, and his next hearing had been scheduled for this month. According to AP tracking, Wei is at least the fifth Chinese national to die in ICE or Border Patrol custody since March 2025 — two of the first four deaths ruled suicides and two the result of medical complications. ICE has not said whether Wei received the medical intake screening the agency promises detainees within their first 12 hours in custody, which medical experts call critical to preventing deaths.

The death lands amid broader alarm about conditions in immigration detention. At least 57 ICE detainees have died since President Trump returned to office in January 2025, a death rate that has alarmed public health experts, immigrant advocates and the Mexican government, according to the AP. The Saipan facility is small — it has held an average of 18 ICE detainees on any given day this year, per ICE data, in a territory of roughly 50,000 residents — making the scrutiny on a single death all the more intense, and the diplomatic friction with Beijing an added complication.

Three investigations and reviews now hang over the case. ICE says the cause of Wei's death is under investigation, while the Chinese consulate is demanding the findings be shared and that measures be taken to prevent similar incidents. Northern Mariana Islands corrections commissioner Anthony Torres said in a statement that the department is reviewing relevant procedures and will implement any necessary corrective actions to strengthen prevention and response measures. The outstanding question of whether Wei received his intake screening — and why the announcement lagged — remains unanswered.