In brief
Royer Perez-Jimenez, a 19-year-old Mexican immigrant, was discovered unresponsive in the Glades County Detention Center in Florida, where he was detained by ICE. Authorities suspect suicide, though the official cause remains under investigation. This incident has raised alarms regarding the treatment and safety of detainees in the U.S. immigration system, especially given that Perez-Jimenez is reported as the youngest to die in custody since recent policy changes. The Mexican government is demanding a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.
A 19-year-old Mexican man has died while being held in detention by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency has confirmed. Royer Perez-Jimenez was found 'unconscious and unresponsive' on Monday at the Glades County Detention Center in Florida, according to a statement from ICE. 'He died of a presumed suicide; however, the official cause of his death remains under investigation,' the statement adds. According to US media, Perez-Jimenez is the youngest prisoner to die in ICE custody since Donald Trump returned to office and launched a nationwide immigration crackdown. Perez-Jimenez was found in his cell at 02:34 AM on March 16, according to ICE, which added that prison staff 'immediately' began life-saving efforts. The statement says he was arrested in January and charged with fraud for impersonation and misdemeanor resisting an officer. Officials say he had illegally entered the US at an unknown date. When he was admitted to the jail, he 'denied any behavioral health issues or concerns and answered 'no' to all suicide screening questions,' ICE says. The Mexican government has requested more details about Perez-Jimenez's death, and called it 'unacceptable'. 'The Government of Mexico reiterates that these deaths are unacceptable and once again calls on immigration authorities to carry out a prompt and thorough investigation to clarify the circumstances that led to this death, determine responsibility, and establish effective guarantees of non-repetition,' the foreign ministry said on Thursday. According to Detention Watch Network, a group which opposes immigrant detention, there have been more than 42 migrant deaths in custody since Trump returned to office in January 2025. Immigration raids have also led to multiple deaths of migrants, as well as of two US citizens who were shot by agents in Minnesota. Under Joe Biden, the president who preceded Trump, only 24 deaths were reported during his entire four-year term, according to ICE statistics.
