MIAMI — A 19-year-old Mexican migrant died early Monday at a Florida county jail used to hold immigration detainees, marking the latest in a series of deaths under U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody during President Donald Trump's second term.
According to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Royer Perez-Jimenez was found unconscious and unresponsive at 2:34 a.m. at the Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven, a rural facility about 55 miles northeast of Fort Myers. Officers immediately initiated emergency procedures, including cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but medical personnel determined he had no pulse. Fire rescue deputies arrived shortly after and attempted life-sustaining interventions, but Perez-Jimenez was pronounced dead at 2:51 a.m., just 17 minutes after being discovered.
ICE described the death as a presumed suicide, though an official cause remains under investigation by authorities. The agency provided few additional details about Perez-Jimenez's time in custody or any prior medical history, citing ongoing probes. The Office of the District 21 Medical Examiner did not respond to requests for the autopsy report, and the Florida prosecutor's office directed inquiries to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the Attorney General's Office.
Perez-Jimenez's death is the 46th reported in ICE custody since Trump took office in January 2025, according to a tally by The Associated Press. It comes just days after another detainee, an Afghan immigrant who had worked with U.S. forces and was evacuated from his home country, died in a Texas hospital following his detention. This year alone, 13 immigrants have died while in ICE custody, with Perez-Jimenez being the youngest since the start of Trump's current administration.
The Glades County Detention Center, where Perez-Jimenez was held, has a contentious history. It was shut down during President Joe Biden's administration but reopened under Trump to expand capacity for immigrant detainees. Florida, a state closely aligned with the Trump administration on immigration enforcement, is home to several high-profile detention facilities, including the South Florida Detention Facility — often called Alligator Alcatraz — and the Krome North Service Processing Center. Reports from detainees at these sites have included complaints of worms in food, malfunctioning toilets, and overflowing sewage, highlighting ongoing concerns about conditions in the system.
Perez-Jimenez was arrested on January 22 by sheriff's deputies in Volusia County, a rural area in east-central Florida. According to ICE, he faced felony charges for impersonating an officer and resisting arrest. He was transferred to ICE custody about a month later. However, when The Associated Press requested the arrest report from the Volusia County Sheriff's Office using the name and date provided by ICE, the office reported that no such record existed in its system, raising questions about the details of his initial detention.
The death has drawn sharp criticism from immigrant advocacy groups.
“Immigration detention system deprives people of freedom, isolates people away from loved ones, and subjects people to abysmal conditions,” said Carly Pérez Fernández, communications director at Detention Watch Network, a national coalition advocating against immigrant detention.Fernández's statement reflects broader outrage within the immigrant community, where Perez-Jimenez's case is seen as emblematic of systemic failures.
The Mexican government responded swiftly, issuing a statement on Thursday condemning the incident. Officials described such deaths in immigration detention as “unacceptable” and demanded a prompt and thorough U.S. investigation to prevent future occurrences. Representatives from the Mexican Consulate in Miami visited the Glades County facility and requested all documentation related to Perez-Jimenez's case from U.S. authorities.
This tragedy unfolds amid a tightening of immigration policies under the Trump administration. A new directive generally prohibits immigration judges from releasing detainees pending their deportation hearings, contributing to prolonged stays in facilities already strained by backlogs in the courts. Nationwide, the average time in detention has increased, exacerbating reports of poor conditions and mental health challenges among those held.
Advocates point to Perez-Jimenez's youth — he was just 19 — as particularly heartbreaking. As the second ICE custody death this week, it underscores a pattern that has persisted since Trump's first term, when similar incidents drew international scrutiny. During that period, deaths in custody spiked, prompting congressional hearings and lawsuits from civil rights organizations.
ICE has not released information on whether Perez-Jimenez received mental health screenings or support during his detention, standard practices in such facilities. The agency emphasized in its statement that staff followed protocols upon discovering him, but critics argue that preventive measures are insufficient. The Detention Watch Network and other groups have long called for alternatives to detention, such as community-based supervision, which they say could reduce risks without compromising public safety.
In Mexico City, where Associated Press correspondent Maria Verza reported on the government's response, officials reiterated their commitment to supporting families of migrants in U.S. custody. The consulate is assisting Perez-Jimenez's relatives in repatriating his remains and seeking clarity on the circumstances of his death. No family statements have been made public yet, but the case has amplified calls for bilateral cooperation on migrant welfare.
As investigations continue, the incident is likely to fuel debates in Congress over immigration enforcement. With midterm elections approaching, immigration remains a flashpoint, with Trump's policies receiving support from border security hawks but condemnation from human rights advocates. The AP's count of 46 deaths since January 2025 highlights the human cost of these approaches, even as administration officials defend them as necessary for national security.
Broader data from oversight reports show that suicides and medical neglect account for a significant portion of custody deaths. In fiscal year 2024, ICE reported implementing new training for staff on mental health crises, but implementation varies by facility. At Glades County, which contracts with ICE to house detainees, local officials have not commented publicly on the death.
Looking ahead, the Mexican government's push for a thorough probe could lead to diplomatic tensions if U.S. responses are deemed inadequate. Immigrant rights organizations plan to rally in Miami this weekend, drawing attention to Perez-Jimenez and others lost in the system. For now, his story serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerabilities faced by migrants navigating America's immigration labyrinth, where detention can mean isolation far from home and, in tragic cases, the end of a young life.