Deaths in ICE custody rise to 12 so far this year: Elderly Cuban man is latest case
According to official Immigration and Customs Enforcement data, more than a dozen undocumented immigrants have died in 2025 while under its control.
ICE agents arresting an undocumented immigrant in Los Angeles.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) recently reported the death of Isidro Pérez, a 75-year-old Cuban national, who remained in its custody. The case of the elderly man, who lived almost six decades in the U.S. illegally and was detained on June 5, has raised the figures on the deaths of other undocumented foreigners in the first months of the year.
According to official data from ICE, 12 immigrants have died in 2025 while under its control. The current figure tallied through June surpassed the total number of deaths (11) in ICE custody last year.
Pérez is the fifth person to die while in custody of the immigration service so far this year in Florida, where one of the biggest crackdowns on immigrants in the country, promoted by Republican Governor Ron DeSantis, is being carried out. The cause of the Cuban's death is under investigation, authorities have said.
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Why did ICE detain Isidro Pérez?
The court records for which Pérez was charged in detention are not public or available on the internet.
During an investigation, The Miami Herald located records for one conviction, not the two mentioned by ICE. According to the report, Isidro Pérez and another man were arrested in 1981 while traveling in a boat with 1,500 pounds of marijuana. They were charged with two counts: conspiracy and possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute.
Isidro Pérez was sentenced to 18 months in prison and two years probation.
He was currently living on a floating boat, and was recovering from a previous heart attack. He also had two spinal surgeries, one on his foot, and suffered from osteoporosis.
Other reported cases
Days earlier, ICE also reported the death of Johnny Noviello, a 49-year-old Canadian citizen. The events also occurred at a federal facility in Miami. The man was at an ICE detention center while facing deportation for a 2023 conviction for racketeering and drug trafficking, according to the document. The cause of death is under investigation.
Also in June, the death of Jesus Molina-Veya, a 45-year-old Mexican citizen who was in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Atlanta, was reported. As in previous cases, the causes of the incident have not yet been determined.
ICE authorities have 90 days to release the forensic report of each of the foreign nationals who have died while in the custody of immigration agents.
A controversial detention center: Krome in Miami
According to the most recent data from ICE, released on June 20, Krome Services Processing Center (KSPC) had an average daily population of 845 people, which also exceeds the capacity of this detention center located in Florida.
Krome has also had recent human rights complaints. Days ago, aerial images of immigrant detainees forming the letters "S.O.S." made headlines on social media, essentially calling for help because of conditions there.
As a result of the demands, last week, Rep. Carlos Giménez toured the Krome facility as part of a congressional inspection visit and said the conditions were not deplorable or inhumane, although it was not "the Ritz."
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