Teenage Mexican Immigrant Dies in ICE Detention in Florida

Overview of the Incident

A 19-year-old Mexican man, Royer Perez-Jimenez, died on Monday under what authorities described as “presumed suicide” while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention. This incident marks the 13th death in ICE custody nationwide this year. According to a press release, Perez-Jimenez was found unconscious and unresponsive by a detention officer at 2:34 a.m. Despite medical efforts to resuscitate him, he was pronounced dead at 2:51 a.m. The agency noted that the official cause of his death is still under investigation.

Since President Donald Trump returned to office, Perez-Jimenez is the eighth person to die in immigration detention in Florida. Over 40 individuals have died in ICE custody during the Trump administration. These deaths 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 medical intake, he reportedly denied any suicidal thoughts or behavioral issues. The Miami Herald has requested the autopsy report from the medical examiner’s office.

Background on the Individual

Under the Trump administration, ICE has started emphasizing the criminal histories of detainees in their death announcements. 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 returned to the U.S.

The Miami Herald located court and police records matching the ICE notice for a man from Edgewater, where officers pulled over a scooter rider for crossing lanes on January 21. The individual sped away, and when police caught up with him, 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 the officer to attempt a leg sweep to take him down. On the ground, Perez-Jimenez pulled away and put his hands under his body, resulting in his arrest 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 similarly and riding the same make/model scooter, was also arrested for providing a false name.

Legal Proceedings and Custody Transfer

On January 22, the Department of Homeland Security filed an immigration detainer requesting that Perez-Jimenez be released into ICE custody. The request noted that he posed “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.

In a separate case, a Cuban man named Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55, died in Texas on January 3. DHS stated that he was placed in segregation after becoming disruptive while waiting for medication. Staff observed him in distress and called emergency services, leading to his death due to medical distress. A medical examiner later concluded the death was a homicide. Witnesses and his family claimed he died after a struggle with guards.

Another case involved Emanuel Cleeford Damas, a 56-year-old Haitian man, who died on March 6 in Arizona after nearly six months in custody. ICE reported that doctors ruled the preliminary cause of death as unknown, with a possible 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.

Criticisms and Concerns

ICE repeatedly emphasizes its commitment to offering comprehensive medical care. Following media reports about poor medical care, 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 rising number of deaths has caused widespread concern across the country.

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 significantly. According to Syracuse University researchers, there were 57,501 people in ICE custody on February 7, 2026, compared to 19,304 on February 9, 2025.

Investigations and Facility Issues

Last year, the Miami 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, according to experts.

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 began 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.