Mexican Teenager in Florida Becomes Youngest Death Under ICE Custody Since Trump's Return to Office

A 19-year-old Mexican national has died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in Florida, becoming the latest confirmed death in detention this year and the youngest since President Trump's return to office in January 2025.

The case adds to a growing number of fatalities in ICE facilities in 2026, which had already reached at least 11 by early March and rose to at least 12 days before with the death of an Afghan asylum seeker named Mohommad Nazeer Paktyawal in Texas.

Royer Perez-Jimenez died March 16 at the Glades County Detention Center in Moore Haven, Florida, after being found "unconscious and unresponsive" in a dormitory, according to an ICE statement.

Staff initiated cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency responders provided "life-sustaining interventions," but he was pronounced dead at 2:51 a.m. ICE said the death is a "presumed suicide," though the official cause remains under investigation.

The agency said Perez had been transferred into ICE custody on Feb. 21 following an arrest by local authorities in Volusia County, Florida, on charges including impersonation and resisting an officer. He was moved to the Glades facility five days later. ICE stated that during intake he "denied any behavioral health issues or concerns and answered 'no' to all suicide screening questions."

"ICE is committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments," the agency said, adding that detainees receive medical, dental and mental health screenings and have access to emergency care.

Perez's death follows a series of fatalities in ICE custody across the United States. According to data compiled from agency disclosures and reported by Reuters, at least 11 immigrants had died in custody between January and early March 2026, including detainees who died after reporting chest pain, respiratory issues or other medical emergencies, as well as individuals found unresponsive or in suspected suicides.

Paktyawal died less than 24 hours after being detained in Texas, bringing the total to at least 12. ICE said that case was also under investigation and described the individual as a "criminal illegal alien," consistent with its standard language in such releases.

The rising number of deaths follows 31 fatalities recorded in 2025, the highest annual total in nearly two decades.