A 19-year-old Mexican national has become the youngest person to die in US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody since Donald Trump began his second term, raising fresh concerns over conditions inside immigration detention facilities.
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Royer Perez-Jimenez was found “unconscious and unresponsive” in his cell at the Glades County Detention Center in Florida in the early hours of Monday, according to an ICE statement. He is also the second detainee to die within the same week, according to reports. ICE said that upon intake, the teenager had denied any mental health concerns and did not flag suicide risk during screening. Mexican authorities termed the incident “unacceptable” and demanded a thorough investigation. Carly Pérez Fernández of Detention Watch Network said such facilities isolate detainees and expose them to “abysmal conditions”. ICE said he had complained of chest pain and shortness of breath before being hospitalised, where he later died.
He had been in custody for about a month after being arrested in January on charges including impersonating an officer and resisting arrest. His sudden death has prompted calls for accountability. Officials from the Mexican consulate in Miami have since visited the facility and requested detailed documentation. Advocacy groups also criticised detention conditions. The deaths have coincided with a sharp increase in detentions. Lawmakers and activists say the rising toll reflects systemic issues. Some have accused authorities of negligence, while others argue the expansion of detention infrastructure is outpacing safeguards. With investigations ongoing into multiple cases, including that of Perez-Jimenez, US immigration authorities are under intense pressure to explain the circumstances behind the deaths and implement reforms.
Officials said staff initiated CPR immediately, but he was declared dead shortly thereafter. The agency described the death as a “presumed suicide”, though the official cause remains under investigation. Perez-Jimenez’s case comes amid what activists describe as a worrying rise in deaths across ICE facilities nationwide.