Teenager becomes youngest person to die in ICE detention in Trump’s second term

The Guardian US News
by Coral Murphy Marcos
March 19, 2026
2 min read

Quick Insights

The Bottom Line

A 19-year-old died in ICE custody in Florida, the youngest death in immigration detention since Trump took office.

How This Affects You

If you or a family member faces immigration detention, conditions in federal facilities may pose serious health and safety risks.

AI Summary

Royer Perez-Jimenez, a 19-year-old Mexican national, died at a Florida ICE detention facility on March 16 after being found unconscious and unresponsive in his room, marking the youngest death in ICE custody since Trump took office in January 2025. ICE announced the death on Thursday, underscoring ongoing scrutiny of conditions in immigration detention centers under the Trump administration's immigration enforcement policies. The death comes amid heightened focus on detention facility operations as the Trump administration pursues an aggressive immigration enforcement agenda. The exact circumstances surrounding Perez-Jimenez's death remain unclear from available reports.

Source Coverage Map

8 of 43 tracked sources covered this story

Overlooked Story
19% coverage
Did Not Cover (35)
ICIJ97AP World News96AP News96AP US News96AP Top News96+30 more

Following this story?

Get notified when new coverage appears

Should this be getting more attention?

You Might Have Missed

Related stories from different sources and perspectives

Trump officials set to expand migrant family detention at Louisiana airport
Politics

Trump officials set to expand migrant family detention at Louisiana airport

<p>Alexandria airport center would hold migrant families and children inside converted barracks before deportation</p><p>The Trump administration is poised to expand immigration detention operations at a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2025/sep/12/ice-detention-alexandria-staging-facility">controversial site</a> inside a rural Louisiana airport, the Guardian has learned.</p><p>The administration is seeking to establish a “first of its kind” short-term facility that would hold migrant families and unaccompanied children next to a runway that has become a central node for the White House’s mass deportation agenda.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/14/trump-migrant-detention-louisiana">Continue reading...</a>

The Guardian US NewsMar 14
Afghan man who worked with US military dies after taken into ICE custody - AP News
Civil Rights

Afghan man who worked with US military dies after taken into ICE custody - AP News

<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMinAFBVV95cUxOTTBaWTZfVFoyeGFjT0hDVDlOR1pDMzllN0tjVlY3WUxrWFN6T3B6eEFRaFgzUG9wblpKZXl1ZHJkcDZkVTUySmVESkFMaE5tTHZCLUVpNGMwdEowRHR6TFh3RTR1cjlfUkdhMUZBc1F4dTZkSldfN3ctMFpDR0NVT0RzbE5PX0duUDFoTGt4OWJVMGtLUmwtcWpoWUw?oc=5" target="_blank">Afghan man who worked with US military dies after taken into ICE custody</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">AP News</font>

AP NewsMar 16
Afghan asylum-seeker dies in ICE custody, US advocacy group says - Reuters
Civil Rights

Afghan asylum-seeker dies in ICE custody, US advocacy group says - Reuters

<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMitgFBVV95cUxQNUtzZW1BdnVrajRrcUNRTFlFLTdCeEhia2pfeElQN2x2WFZGZUtQQjRTaC1IU0RCcVVWLWpoRUk3dnBtU21TdzBuVVBCeFBYcEhtazRTTmtWb0FHUFVwc3IxS1FpRWlyQ3VmUm9jWFlRRjFrOE8wMTFGU05uYnNlRE9xc0JkUjFlLV9YMnNoOWlGUF9xWmRBUkx2ZEhjTy1pUVRSTmlTcjl4akpXRlJRS0xZYzdTUQ?oc=5" target="_blank">Afghan asylum-seeker dies in ICE custody, US advocacy group says</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">Reuters</font>

ReutersMar 15
Last protester in immigration detention after Trump’s campus crackdown has been released - AP News
Civil Rights

Last protester in immigration detention after Trump’s campus crackdown has been released - AP News

<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMimgFBVV95cUxNNmpUWUVTbkQzMG9odUZKck4yc1JvTnVCekxxNk5DVkFVaHJpU0REeS1ZcVB3Q3pYZFBlcU5JR242RkU1NWphSlpjUTNnLVlPcVN3OXFBYUFKS3Y5d2pvQUNzVXFaMVBQVlBHdGF1OXdhLVZvdmNlb2lyd3lqQ3A4TXhjcThiRDhNSU4yWVB4di1ETmkwLTBfOFVR?oc=5" target="_blank">Last protester in immigration detention after Trump’s campus crackdown has been released</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">AP News</font>

AP NewsMar 17
DOJ investigation into Powell could backfire on Trump and keep Fed chair in office - AP News
Politics

DOJ investigation into Powell could backfire on Trump and keep Fed chair in office - AP News

<a href="https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMikgFBVV95cUxOZWd1OV9tbHpYZGtQdi1ka2hVcEZUSFVsdEhoZndDdV9sMVREckluVWhCZk1fLThrejd5eEFyTGJXdXpIRWduVW90UWJNMmFxMUF4TVRWc1N3R01qQVZhZG41WmNOQ25QSVN5eWR2Mmxha0lZXzV5TjZ5OTFELVUxQ1FaZ0ZEdTZOZGJKUF9wcllaQQ?oc=5" target="_blank">DOJ investigation into Powell could backfire on Trump and keep Fed chair in office</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<font color="#6f6f6f">AP News</font>

AP NewsMar 19
Chief Justice: Personal attacks on judges are "dangerous and it's got to stop"
Politics

Chief Justice: Personal attacks on judges are "dangerous and it's got to stop"

President Trump has slammed the Supreme Court justices who voted to strike down most of his tariffs, claiming they "openly disrespect the Presidents who nominate them."

CBS NewsMar 17
Read Next
US deportees face sudden, ‘traumatic’ separation from their children, report finds
Civil Rights

US deportees face sudden, ‘traumatic’ separation from their children, report finds

<p>Dozens said they weren’t given chance to arrange care for their kids after being deported at short notice, study shows</p><p>The Trump administration is deporting a significant number of parents without asking them if they have children or allowing them to decide whether to bring their children with them, in apparent violation of its own policies, a major report has found.</p><p>In interviews with dozens of parents deported to Honduras, as well as physicians and psychologists, government officials and staff at reception centers for deportees, <a href="https://www.womensrefugeecommission.org/research-resources/what-about-my-children-family-separation-among-parents-deported-to-honduras/">researchers found</a> that many parents were deported quickly after they were detained, without a chance to arrange for the care of their children.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/mar/19/trump-deportation-children-trauma">Continue reading...</a>

Continue reading

Did this story change how you see things?

Stories like this only matter when people see them. Help us get verified journalism in front of more eyes.

Share this story

Get the daily digest

Save for later

The Verity Ledger curates verified investigative journalism from trusted sources only.

See our sources