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US: 19-Year-Old Mexican Migrant Dead – Was Held by ICE

Published March 20, 2026, 08:11
US: 19-Year-Old Mexican Migrant Dead – Was Held by ICE

A 19-year-old Mexican migrant, Roger Perez-Jimenez, died on March 16 at a US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Florida. ICE describes the death as a suicide, however the official cause of death is under investigation. Perez-Jimenez had been arrested for forgery and resisting arrest and had been in custody since February 26. The Mexican Foreign Ministry condemned the death as “unacceptable” and called for an immediate and thorough investigation to clarify the circumstances that led to it, as well as to assign responsibility and establish guarantees to prevent it from happening again. Perez-Jimenez had entered the US in 2022 and voluntarily returned to Mexico, but re-entered illegally, which constitutes a federal offense. ICE assures that it provides comprehensive medical care to detainees, but last year a record 31 deaths of migrants under federal custody were recorded. Perez-Jimenez's death adds to the growing concern about the conditions of detention for migrants in the US and the policies of the Trump administration. This case highlights the tragic consequences of strict immigration policy and the need to improve detention conditions and respect the human rights of migrants.