A 19-year-old Mexican migrant named Royer Perez-Jimenez died on March 16 at the Glades County Detention Center in Florida — a county jail that has long been contracted to hold immigration detainees — making him the youngest person to die in ICE custody during President Donald Trump's second term. ICE reported the death publicly on Friday, saying Perez-Jimenez "died of presumed suicide," though an official cause of death remains under investigation. A detention officer found him unconscious at approximately 2:30 a.m.; staff performed CPR until medical personnel arrived.

The death was confirmed by NPR, NBC News, the Miami New Times, and CBC News. Perez-Jimenez had been arrested on January 22 by Volusia County sheriff's officers and charged with felony impersonation and resisting an officer. He was transferred to ICE custody approximately one month later. According to a count maintained by the Associated Press and cited by NPR, Perez-Jimenez is the 46th person to die in ICE custody since the start of the Trump administration's second term in January 2025.

The Glades County Detention Center has previously been the subject of allegations of abuse and inadequate medical care, according to immigrant advocacy groups cited by the Miami New Times. At the time of Perez-Jimenez's death, ICE was detaining nearly 70,000 people nationwide — the highest total ever recorded — following a dramatic ramp-up in enforcement activity that began in early 2025.

Congressional Democrats cited by NBC News called for an independent investigation, pointing out that ICE detention deaths have surpassed last year's total with most of the fiscal year remaining. ICE's official statement emphasized that the agency "takes seriously the health and welfare of all those in its custody" and said a full review would be conducted in accordance with established protocols.