FILE – A federal agent wears an Immigration and Customs Enforcement badge in New York, June 10, 2025.
Yuki Iwamura/AP
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Yuki Iwamura/AP
MIAMI — A 19-year-old Mexican migrant has died in a Florida county jail where immigrants are detained, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
ICE has indicated that Royer Perez-Jimenez’s death is suspected to be a suicide, although the official cause is still under investigation.
The passing of Perez-Jimenez on Monday marks the 46th death in ICE custody since President Donald Trump’s administration began in January 2025, as reported by the Associated Press.
This week, Perez-Jimenez is the second person to die under ICE care, following an Afghan immigrant who passed away in a Texas hospital after being detained. The Afghan immigrant’s family stated he had been evacuated from his country after supporting U.S. forces.
In the current year, 13 immigrants have died in ICE custody, with Perez-Jimenez being the youngest since the start of Trump’s second term.
The District 21 Medical Examiner’s Office has not responded to the Associated Press’s request for the autopsy report. Meanwhile, the Florida prosecutor’s office has directed any inquiries to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Attorney General’s Office.
The Mexican government expressed on Thursday that deaths in immigration detention are “unacceptable” and called for a swift and comprehensive investigation by the U.S. to prevent similar incidents. Representatives from the Consulate in Miami have visited the facility where Perez-Jimenez was held and requested documentation related to the case.
Perez-Jimenez’s death has drawn criticism from the immigrant community.
“The immigration detention system deprives people of freedom, isolates them from loved ones, and exposes them to terrible conditions,” stated Carly Pérez Fernández, communications director at Detention Watch Network, a national coalition opposing immigrant detention.
ICE reported that an officer found Perez-Jimenez “unconscious and unresponsive” at 2:34 a.m. on Monday at the Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven. This facility, which is about 55 miles northeast of Fort Myers, was closed by President Joe Biden’s administration and later reopened by the Trump administration.
Upon discovering Perez-Jimenez, officers immediately called a medical emergency, and staff began CPR, according to ICE. Two medical personnel arrived shortly after, determined that he was without a pulse, and fire rescue deputies commenced life-saving interventions.
Perez-Jimenez was declared dead at 2:51 a.m., 17 minutes after being found, as reported by ICE.
The Mexican teenager was arrested on January 22 by sheriff’s officers in Volusia County, a rural area in east-central Florida, and charged with felony impersonation and resisting an officer, according to ICE. A month later, he was transferred to ICE custody.
The Associated Press requested the arrest report for Royer Perez-Jimenez from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office, using the full name from the ICE press release and the arrest date. The Sheriff’s Office replied that a search of their system did not return any records for Perez-Jimenez.
Florida is known for its alignment with the Trump administration on immigration issues and hosts some of the most recognized immigrant detention centers, such as the South Florida Detention Facility, nicknamed Alligator Alcatraz, and Krome North Service Processing Center. Some detainees have reported poor conditions, including worms in food, malfunctioning toilets, and overflowing sewage.
Extended detention has become more common during Trump’s current term, partly due to a policy that generally prevents immigration judges from releasing detainees while their deportation cases are processed in overcrowded courts.
