USA01 March, 20263 min read
ICE Detainee Royer Perez-Jimenez Dies in Florida Detention Center; Officials Suspect Suicide
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Royer Pérez-Jiménez, 19-year-old Mexican, died in ICE custody at Glades County Detention Center, Florida. ICE cites death as presumed suicide; cause under investigation.
Detainee Death Details
Royer Perez-Jimenez, a 19-year-old Mexican national, died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody on March 16, 2026, at the Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven, Florida.
“A 19-year-old Mexican national has died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in Florida, becoming the latest confirmed death in detention this year and the youngest since President Trump's return to office in January 2025. The case adds to a growing number of fatalities in ICE facilities in 2026, which had already reached at least 11 by early March and rose to at least 12 days before with the death of an Afghan asylum seeker named Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal in Texas.”
He became the youngest confirmed detainee death since President Trump's return to office and the 13th such fatality in ICE facilities this year.
According to ICE officials, an agent found Perez-Jimenez 'unconscious and unresponsive' at 2:34 a.m. in a dormitory.
Staff immediately performed cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency responders provided 'life-sustaining interventions,' though he was pronounced dead just 17 minutes later at 2:51 a.m.
The agency characterized the death as a 'presumed suicide,' though the official cause remains under investigation.
ICE reported that during intake at the center, Perez-Jimenez 'denied any behavioral health issues or concerns and answered 'no' to all suicide screening questions,' contradicting the preliminary assessment of suicide.
Arrest and Facility Concerns
The circumstances surrounding Perez-Jimenez's arrest and detention have raised significant questions about record-keeping and transparency. The Volusia County Sheriff's Office reported that it could not find arrest records for him despite ICE's claim that he was arrested on January 22 on charges of identity theft and resisting an officer. According to ICE, the Mexican teenager was transferred into their custody on February 21, five days before the facility where he died was moved to Glades County Detention Center.
ICE stated that during intake he 'denied any behavioral health issues or concerns and answered 'no' to all suicide screening questions.' The Glades County facility itself has a controversial history - it was shut down during the Biden presidency and reopened by the Trump administration. It has faced ongoing political and social pressure since 2021, with lawmakers and organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union calling for its closure due to reported 'racist violence, sexual assaults, medical neglect, and degrading treatment of detainees.'
International Response
Perez-Jimenez's death has triggered international diplomatic condemnation from the Mexican government. Mexican authorities termed the incident 'unacceptable' and demanded a prompt and thorough investigation. They sought to 'clarify the circumstances that led to the death, determine accountability, and establish effective guarantees so that an incident like this does not happen again.'
“The Mexican Secretariat of Foreign Affairs condemned Pérez Jiménez's death and stated in a release that these deaths 'are unacceptable.' It also demanded a prompt and thorough investigation to clarify the circumstances that led to the death, determine accountability, and establish effective guarantees so that an incident like this does not happen again. In addition, the Mexican foreign ministry announced it would use all diplomatic and legal channels in this case.”
Mexican authorities have activated diplomatic and legal channels, with officials from the Mexican consulate in Miami visiting the detention facility. They formally requested documentation and reports needed to clarify the facts. The Mexican Foreign Ministry emphasized the need to establish guarantees of non-repetition and recalled that between January and October 2025, ten Mexican citizens died in ICE custody or during immigration operations.
Detention Conditions Criticism
The fatal incident has intensified scrutiny of ICE detention conditions, as advocacy groups and human rights organizations have long criticized the system. They have criticized the system for subjecting detainees to 'abysmal conditions' while failing to provide adequate care. According to Carly Pérez Fernández, communications director at Detention Watch Network, the immigration detention system 'deprives people of freedom, isolates people away from loved ones, and subjects people to abysmal conditions.'
The organization directly held ICE responsible and called on Congress to make urgent cuts to funding for the migrant detention system. They also called for ending its expansion under the current administration. Detainees at various ICE facilities, including those in Florida which houses some of the most well-known immigrant detention centers like the South Florida Detention Facility (also known as Alligator Alcatraz) and Krome North Service Processing Center, have reported finding worms in their food, nonfunctioning toilets, and overflowing sewage.
Rising Death Toll Pattern
Perez-Jimenez's death is part of a disturbing pattern of rising fatalities in ICE custody. This pattern has drawn increased attention and criticism amid the Trump administration's expanded immigration enforcement. According to data compiled from agency disclosures and advocacy groups, at least 11-12 immigrants had died in custody between January and early March 2026.
“Perez's death follows a series of fatalities in ICE custody across the United States. According to data compiled from agency disclosures and reported by Reuters, at least 11 immigrants had died in custody between January and early March 2026, including detainees who died after reporting chest pain, respiratory issues or other medical emergencies, as well as individuals found unresponsive or in suspected suicides. Paktyawal died less than 24 hours after being detained in Texas, bringing the total to at least 12. ICE said that case was also under investigation and described the individual as a 'criminal illegal alien,' consistent with its standard language in such releases. The rising number of deaths follows 31 fatalities recorded in 2025, the highest annual total in nearly two decades.”
These deaths include detainees who died after reporting chest pain, respiratory issues or other medical emergencies, as well as individuals found unresponsive or in suspected suicides. This follows 31 fatalities recorded in 2025, the highest annual total in nearly two decades. The rising death toll has coincided with a sharp increase in detentions, with nearly 70,000 immigrants currently being held across facilities in the US - the highest number on record.
