Teenage Mexican Immigrant Dies in ICE Custody in Florida Amid Suicide Speculation

A Tragic Death in ICE Detention Sparks National Concern

A 19-year-old Mexican man, Royer Perez-Jimenez, died on Monday under what authorities described as “presumed suicide” while in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). This incident marks the 13th death in immigration detention facilities across the United States this year. The news has reignited concerns about the conditions and medical care provided to detainees.

Perez-Jimenez was found unconscious and unresponsive by a detention officer at 2:34 a.m., according to a press release. Despite efforts by medical personnel to resuscitate him, he was pronounced dead at 2:51 a.m. The agency stated that while the cause of death is presumed to be suicide, an official investigation is ongoing.

Since President Donald Trump returned to office, there have been eight deaths in immigration detention in Florida alone. Nationally, over 40 individuals have died in ICE custody during his administration. These cases range from two men killed by an active shooter at an ICE office in Dallas to others who succumbed to natural causes.

In March alone, at least five people have died while in ICE custody, according to government press releases. Perez-Jimenez entered ICE custody on February 21, less than a month before his death. During his initial medical intake, he denied any behavioral issues or concerns, and responded negatively to all suicide screening questions.

The Miami Herald has requested the autopsy report from the medical examiner’s office to gain more clarity on the circumstances surrounding his death.

Background and Legal Proceedings

Under the Trump administration, ICE has increasingly emphasized the criminal histories of detainees when announcing deaths. According to the agency, Perez-Jimenez entered the United States in February 2022 but voluntarily returned to Mexico the same day after being encountered by border authorities. It is unclear when he re-entered the U.S.

The Miami Herald located court and police records that match the ICE notice for a man arrested by Volusia County Sheriff’s officers. He was pulled over for crossing lanes while riding a scooter on January 21. When officers approached him again, he stopped on the sidewalk. An officer ordered him to step off the scooter and sit on the ground, but it’s unclear if he understood, as officers later had to call for a translator.

When Perez-Jimenez failed to comply, an officer attempted to escort him to the ground. He tensed up and pulled away, leading to a leg sweep. On the ground, he put his hands under his body, and the officers arrested him for resisting an officer without violence.

During a later interview, Perez-Jimenez gave police a false name. He was charged with two misdemeanors for impersonating someone else and resisting an officer. Another individual, who was “dressed exactly the same as the first male, coming in from the same location, riding on the exact same make/model scooter,” was also arrested for giving cops a false name.

The next day, on January 22, the Department of Homeland Security filed an immigration detainer requesting that Perez-Jimenez be released into ICE custody. The request noted him as posing “a risk to national security, border security, or public safety.”

On February 19, Perez-Jimenez pleaded no contest and was found guilty on both charges. He was transferred into ICE custody two days later.

Other Deaths and Criticisms

In another case, a Cuban man named Geraldo Lunas Campos died in Texas on January 3. DHS stated that he had been placed in segregation after becoming disruptive while waiting for medication. Staff observed him in distress and called emergency services, but he died after experiencing medical distress. A medical examiner later concluded the death was a homicide.

Emanuel Cleeford Damas, a 56-year-old man from Haiti, died on March 6 at a hospital in Arizona after nearly six months in custody. ICE said doctors ruled the preliminary cause of death as unknown, with a likely diagnosis of septic shock due to pneumonia. However, his family told the Haitian Times that he died from a tooth infection that was treated too late.

ICE repeatedly emphasizes its commitment to offering comprehensive medical care. Following media reports of poor medical care, the agency’s chief medical officer for the Department of Homeland Security recently stated that “the medical care in ICE detention is the best care they have received in their entire lives.”

However, the number of deaths has caused widespread alarm nationwide. Lawyers, advocates, and community leaders have long criticized healthcare and living conditions at ICE facilities. These criticisms have intensified under the Trump administration, as the detainee population and deaths have increased exponentially.

Ongoing Concerns and Calls for Reform

There were 57,501 people in ICE custody on February 7, 2026, according to Syracuse University researchers, compared to 19,304 on February 9, 2025. This significant increase has raised concerns about the capacity and quality of care within detention facilities.

Last year, the Herald investigated the deaths of a Ukrainian stroke victim and a Honduran man after they were detained at Krome North Service Processing Center. While the Miami-Dade Medical Examiner Department ruled both deaths as natural causes, the Herald found evidence of questionable medical care.

The Glades County Sheriff, whose office operates the facility through a contract with ICE, declined to comment on Perez-Jimenez’s death. The Glades County Sheriff’s Office started holding up to 500 immigrants for ICE under a contract with the agency in April 2025, three years after the Biden administration halted the contract, citing “persistent and ongoing concerns” about detainee healthcare. For years, activists had pushed the federal government to stop working with the facility to house immigrants.