ICE Detainee Royer Perez-Jimenez Dies in Florida Detention Center; Officials Suspect Suicide

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.

“Un mexicano de 19 años murió bajo custodia del Servicio de Inmigración y Aduanas de Estados Unidos (ICE, por sus siglas en inglés) en Florida, informó la agencia este miércoles, en un caso que eleva a 13 las muertes registradas este año en centros de detención y a 44 en lo que va del segundo mandato de Donald Trump, según la organización Detention Watch Network”

CNN en Español

He became the youngest confirmed detainee death since President Trump's return to office and the 13th such fatality in ICE facilities this year.

CNN en Español

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.

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.

Diario AS

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.'

Perez-Jimenez's death has triggered international diplomatic condemnation from the Mexican government.

“A 19-year-old Mexican man died in United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in Florida, according to confirmation by the agency on Thursday, raising the number of people who have died in ICE detention this year to 13 and 42 since the start of the Donald Trump administration”

El Confidencial

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.'

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.

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.

El Mundo

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.

Perez-Jimenez's death is part of a disturbing pattern of rising fatalities in ICE custody.

“A 19-year-old Mexican man died in U”

infoLibre

This pattern has drawn increased attention and criticism amid the Trump administration's expanded immigration enforcement.

infoLibre

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.

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.