Tragic Death of Young Immigrant in Florida Jail
MIAMI — A 19-year-old Mexican immigrant, Royer Perez-Jimenez, has died in a Florida county jail designated for immigrant detainees, as confirmed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
ICE indicated that Perez-Jimenez “died of a presumed suicide,” although an official cause of death is still under investigation.
This incident marks the 46th reported death of an individual in ICE custody since President Donald Trump assumed office in January 2025, according to an Associated Press tally. Notably, Perez-Jimenez’s death occurs just days after another fatality involving an Afghan immigrant who had escaped from Taliban control after serving in the U.S. military.
Since the start of 2026, 13 immigrants have died in ICE facilities. Perez-Jimenez is now recognized as the youngest detainee to die in ICE custody during President Trump’s second term.
The 21st District Medical Examiner’s Office did not respond to an Associated Press request for an autopsy report. The Florida Attorney General’s Office has directed all inquiries to the Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Attorney General’s Office.
The circumstances surrounding Perez-Jimenez’s death have ignited a strong response from the immigrant community. Carly Perez Fernandez, the director of communications for the Detention Watch Network, criticized the detention system, stating, “It deprives individuals of their freedom, isolates them from loved ones, and subjects them to troubling conditions.”
According to ICE, Perez-Jimenez was found “unconscious and unresponsive” at 2:34 a.m. on Monday at the Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven, which had been closed under President Biden’s administration but reopened during Trump’s tenure. Moore Haven is located about 55 miles (88.5 km) northeast of Fort Myers.
ICE reported that following the discovery of Perez-Jimenez, officers promptly called for a medical emergency and initiated CPR. Medical personnel arrived shortly after but found no pulse. Fire and rescue teams later arrived and attempted to revive him.
ICE confirmed that Perez-Jimenez was pronounced dead at 2:51 a.m., just 17 minutes after he was initially found. He had been arrested by sheriff’s officials in Volusia County, Florida, on charges of felony impersonation and resisting a police officer on January 22, and was transferred to ICE custody a month later.
The Associated Press sought an arrest report for Royer Perez-Jimenez from the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office using the full name and date of arrest cited in the ICE press release. However, the Sheriff’s Office reported that a search of its records revealed no information regarding Perez-Jimenez.
Florida stands out as one of the states most aligned with the Trump administration’s stringent immigration policies, housing key immigration detention facilities such as the South Florida Detention Facility, colloquially known as Alligator Alcatraz, and the Chrome North Service Processing Center. Accounts from detainees have highlighted unsettling conditions, including insects in food, non-functional toilets, and sewage problems.
Long-term detentions have become increasingly common nationwide during President Trump’s current term, fueled in part by a new policy that limits immigration judges’ ability to release detainees while deportation cases are processed in overcrowded courts.
