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Burial Held for 19-Year-Old Mexican Man Who Died in ICE Custody in Florida
Hundreds attended the burial of Royer Perez Jimenez, a 19-year-old Mexican national who died on March 16, 2026, in an ICE detention center in Florida. Family members questioned the charges leading to his detention and the official determination of suicide as the cause of death. The incident occurred amid a reported increase in deaths in ICE custody during 2025 and 2026.
Apr 6, 7:10 AM·2m read1 source
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Hundreds of people gathered on Saturday for the burial of Royer Perez Jimenez, a 19-year-old from San Juan Chamula in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas. Jimenez died on March 16, 2026, at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in Florida. His family received his body on Thursday prior to the burial.
Jimenez immigrated to the United States at age 15. He was arrested in January 2026 on suspicion of resisting arrest and providing a false identity to law enforcement. According to his uncle, Manuel Perez, Jimenez was not fluent in English at the time of the arrest, which led to confusion during the encounter.
ICE officials stated that Jimenez died of an apparent suicide, with the official cause of death under investigation. Upon arrival at the detention center in late February 2026, Jimenez was evaluated by medical staff and answered "no" to all suicide screening questions, according to ICE records reported by CBS News Miami.
Manuel Perez expressed doubts about the circumstances of Jimenez's death. The family has called for a thorough investigation, suspecting homicide rather than suicide.
“What we want is a thorough investigation because, unfortunately, we do not believe suicide was the cause of his death, rather we suspect it was probably a homicide.”
Perez also stated that the charges against Jimenez were fabricated and that he was unjustly accused.
At least 14 migrants of various nationalities have died in ICE custody in 2026, according to ICE officials. This figure comes amid increased immigration enforcement activities. In 2025, 31 ICE detainees died, marking the highest number in two decades based on a CBS News analysis of ICE records.
