Death of Maksym Chernyak in ICE custody
Maksym Chernyak (44, Ukraine) died on 2025-02-20 while in the custody of ICE, in Krome North SPC, Miami, FL (died at HCA Kendall Hospital). Ukrainian humanitarian parolee detained Feb 2 after a battery arrest; hospitalized Feb 18 after vomiting and seizures, died Feb 20.
Official account
ICE press release cited preliminary cause of bleeding from the brain.
What is documented
- Person: Maksym Chernyak, age 44; Ukraine.
- Location: Krome North SPC, Miami, FL (died at HCA Kendall Hospital).
- Agency: ICE.
- Cause: medical (brain bleed/stroke, preliminary).
- Circumstance: Ukrainian humanitarian parolee detained Feb 2 after a battery arrest; hospitalized Feb 18 after vomiting and seizures, died Feb 20.
Scrutiny of the official account
Grounded in the sourced record below; this documents the dispute rather than asserting a conclusion.
- Status / dispute: Disputed - advocates (incl. HRW) say staff suspected intoxication and delayed calling 911 ~40+ minutes during a stroke;.
Unanswered questions
- Will the responsible agency release its full records, footage, and the medical examiner's findings?
- Was the death preventable — and were required medical or welfare protocols followed?
- Will an independent body (not the agency itself) investigate?
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See also
Needs review