Teenage Mexican Migrant Dies In A Florida Jail Holding Ice Detainees

MIAMI — A 19-year-old Mexican migrant died astatine a region jailhouse successful Florida that has been holding migrant detainees, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

According to ICE, Royer Perez-Jimenez “died of presumed suicide,” though an charismatic origin of decease remains nether investigation.

The decease of Perez-Jimenez connected Monday is nan 46th reported nether Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody since nan commencement of President Trump’s management successful January 2025, according to a count by nan Associated Press.

Perez-Jimenez is nan 2nd personification to dice successful ICE custody this week, aft an Afghan migrant — whose family said he had been evacuated from his state aft moving for years pinch U.S. forces — died successful a Texas infirmary aft being detained by migration authorities.

Since nan opening of this year, 13 immigrants person died successful ICE custody. Perez-Jimenez is nan youngest to do truthful since nan opening of Trump’s 2nd term.

The Office of nan District 21 Medical Examiner did not respond to an AP petition for nan autopsy report. The Florida prosecutor’s agency referred immoderate requests for accusation to nan U.S. Department of Homeland Security and nan U.S. lawyer general’s office.

The Mexican authorities said Thursday successful a connection that specified migration detention deaths are “unacceptable” and called for a punctual and thorough U.S. investigation to forestall a recurrence. Officials from nan Consulate successful Miami visited nan installation wherever Perez-Jimenez was held and asked authorities for archiving astir nan case.

Perez-Jimenez’s decease sparked condemnation wrong nan migrant community.

“Immigration detention strategy deprives group of freedom, isolates group distant from loved ones, and subjects group to abysmal conditions,” said Carly Pérez Fernández, communications head astatine Detention Watch Network, a nationalist conjugation advocating against migrant detention.

ICE said an serviceman recovered Perez-Jimenez “unconscious and unresponsive” astatine 2:34 a.m. connected Monday astatine Glades County Detention Center successful Moore Haven, a installation that President Biden’s management unopen down and nan Trump management reopened. Moore Haven is astir 55 miles northeast of Fort Myers.

The officers who recovered Perez-Jimenez “immediately” called a aesculapian emergency successful nan dormitory, and unit started cardiopulmonary resuscitation, ICE said. Two aesculapian unit arrived a fewer minutes later and wished Perez-Jimenez to beryllium without pulse, earlier nan presence of occurrence rescue deputies who “initiated life-sustaining interventions.”

Perez-Jimenez was pronounced dormant astatine 2:51 a.m., 17 minutes aft he was found, ICE said.

The Mexican teen was arrested Jan. 21 by constabulary successful Edgewater, a agrarian area successful east-central Florida, and charged pinch misdemeanor crimes of providing a mendacious sanction and resisting an officer, according to a constabulary report. ICE said he was transferred to national custody a period later.

Florida mostly aligns pinch nan Trump management connected migration matters and houses immoderate of nan astir well-known migrant detention centers, specified arsenic nan South Florida Detention Facility, besides known arsenic Alligator Alcatraz, and Krome North Service Processing Center. Some detainees person reported uncovering worms successful their food, nonfunctioning toilets and overflowing sewage.

Prolonged detention nationwide has go much communal during Trump’s existent term. This is partially owed to a caller argumentation that mostly prohibits migration judges from releasing detainees while their deportation cases make their measurement done overburdened courts.

Salomon writes for nan Associated Press. AP writer Maria Verza successful Mexico City contributed to this report.