The Beat Goes On: Another Immigrant Death in ICE Custody

Detention news. A 19-year-old Mexican migrant died at a county jail in Florida that has been holding immigrant detainees, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Here is the official ICE announcement in full:

"Criminal illegal alien from Mexico passes away at Glades County Detention Facility March 18, 2026|Detainee Death Notifications

Royer Perez-Jimenez, 19, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico who was arrested and charged with felony fraud for impersonation and resisting an officer, passed away March 16 at the Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven. He was pronounced deceased at 2:51 a.m."

According to ICE, Royer Perez-Jimenez "died of presumed suicide," although an official cause of death remains under investigation.

The death reportedly is the 46th reported under ICE custody since the start of President Donald Trump's administration in January 2025.

The Houston Public Media reported that "Perez-Jimenez is the second person to die in ICE custody this week, after an Afghan immigrant — whose family said he had been evacuated from his country after working for years with U.S. forces — died in a Texas hospital after being detained by immigration authorities.

The Mexican government said Thursday in a statement that such immigration detention deaths are "unacceptable" and called for a prompt and thorough U.S. investigation.

The Mexican teenager reportedly was arrested in January by sheriff's officers in a rural area in east-central Florida and charged with a felony for impersonation and resisting an officer. He later was transferred to ICE custody.

Announcements of deaths in detention are announced on the ICE website. Here is a cruelly ironic listing for an announcement from a few weeks ago:

"Criminal illegal alien in ICE custody passes away in Scottsdale, Arizona March 6, 2026|Detainee Death Notifications

ICE is committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments."