Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced the death of a 19-year-old Mexican migrant at a county jail in Florida that has been holding immigrant detainees, according to The Associated Press (The AP).
The AP revealed that Royer Perez-Jimenez’s death on Monday is the 46th death reported under ICE custody since the beginning of President Donald Trump’s second term in Jan. 2025.
ICE states that Perez-Jimenez “died of presumed suicide,” as the official cause of death remains under investigation.
Perez-Jimenez’s death is the second to take place under ICE custody this week, following the death of Mohammed Nazeer Paktiawal, who died of unknown causes in a Texas hospital after being detained by ICE agents in North Texas on Mar. 14.
Since the beginning of 2026, 13 immigrants have died in ICE custody, with Perez-Jimenez being the youngest to have passed since President Trump’s term, according to The AP.
ICE shared that an officer found Perez-Jimenez “unconscious and unresponsive” at 2:34 a.m. on Mar. 16 at Glades Detention Center in Moore Haven. The Trump administration reopened the facility after former President Joe Biden’s administration shut it down.
According to the agency, the officers who found Perez-Jimenez “immediately” called a medical emergency in the dormitory, and staff began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
A few minutes later, two medical personnel arrived and determined that Perez-Jimenez did not have a pulse before the fire rescue deputies' arrival, who "initiated life-sustaining interventions."
ICE revealed that Perez-Jimenez was pronounced dead at 2:51 a.m., 17 minutes after he was found dead.
The Mexican government issued a statement deeming that such immigration detention deaths are “unacceptable,” additionally demanding a prompt and thorough U.S. investigation to prevent another death from occurring.
Officials from the Mexican Consulate in Miami also visited the facility where Perez-Jimenez was held, located about 55 miles northeast of Fort Myers, requesting documentation about the incident.
