Royer Perez-Jimenez: 19-year-old Mexican Migrant Dies at Glades County Detention Center

As of March 20, 2026, Royer Perez-Jimenez, a 19-year-old Mexican migrant, has died while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the agency said. ICE reported that Perez-Jimenez was found unconscious at the Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven, Florida, at 2:34 a.m.; staff began cardiopulmonary resuscitation and he was pronounced dead at 2:51 a.m. The agency described the death as a "presumed suicide," and officials said the official cause remains under investigation.

ICE said sheriff's deputies arrested Perez-Jimenez on Jan. 22 in Volusia County on charges of impersonation and resisting an officer; he was transferred to ICE custody about a month later. Agency statements say two medical personnel arrived minutes after he was found and that fire rescue deputies attempted life-sustaining interventions. The Mexican government has called the death unacceptable and requested a prompt, thorough U.S. investigation; consular officials visited the detention center and sought case documentation. The Volusia County Sheriff’s Office told investigators it did not find an apparent record for Perez-Jimenez under the name provided.

This death is the 46th reported in ICE custody since January 2025 and the second to occur this week, following the recent death of an Afghan detainee in Texas. Advocacy groups and detention watchdogs criticized conditions and the expanding use of prolonged immigration detention tied to policies that generally restrict release while deportation cases proceed through crowded courts. Carly Pérez Fernández of the Detention Watch Network said the system isolates detainees and raises concerns about conditions and access to care.