SOUTHWEST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) - A 44-year-old Ukrainian national in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement died at a Miami-Dade County hospital after suffering a brain hemorrhage, authorities said.
Maksym Chernyak was pronounced dead on Feb. 20 at 2:25 p.m., with medical staff citing bleeding in the brain as the preliminary cause of death, ICE said in a news release.
Chernyak had been hospitalized since Feb. 18, when Miami-Dade Fire Rescue transported him to HCA Kendall Hospital after he experienced vomiting and seizures. A CT scan later revealed massive intracranial hemorrhaging, leading medical staff to intubate him and initiate brain death protocols the following day.
Chernyak entered the U.S. in August 2024 under Ukrainian humanitarian parole, allowing him to stay until 2026.
ICE took him into custody on Feb. 2 after he was released from the Broward County Jail, where he had been held on a charge of battery with bodily harm. He was detained at the Krome Service Processing Center before his hospitalization.
ICE said it has notified the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General and its Office of Professional Responsibility.
Chernyak’s attorney has also been informed, as he had no listed next of kin.
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