19-Year-Old Mexican Dies in ICE Custody in Florida

A 19-year-old Mexican national died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody early Monday at the Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven, Florida, marking the youngest such death since President Donald Trump's second term began in January 2025.

Royer Perez-Jimenez was found unconscious and unresponsive in his dormitory around 2:30 a.m., according to an ICE statement. Detention staff immediately began cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and local emergency responders provided lifesaving interventions, but he was pronounced dead shortly after at 2:51 a.m. ICE described the death as a presumed suicide, though the official cause remains under investigation. During his intake screening about a month earlier, Perez-Jimenez reported no behavioral health concerns and answered no to all suicide risk questions.

Perez-Jimenez had been in ICE custody since late February, following his arrest on January 22 in Volusia County, east-central Florida. Local sheriff's officers stopped him while he rode a scooter, citing a traffic violation for crossing lanes without using a crosswalk. He allegedly refused to stop and provided multiple false names before admitting he had overstayed his...