Cuban man who lived in U.S. for nearly 60 years dies in ICE custody in Miami, agency confirms
A 75-year-old Cuban man has died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in South Florida, the federal agency confirmed Sunday.
Isidro Perez died Thursday, June 26, at HCA Kendall Florida Hospital. The cause of death is still under investigation, ICE said .
Perez was paroled into the U.S. on April 1, 1966. In Feb. 1981 and Jan. 1984 he was convicted of possession of a controlled substance in the U.S. Court for the Southern District of Florida.
On June 5, Perez was arrested in Key Largo and charged with "inadmissibility pursuant to the Immigration and Nationality Act," according to ICE. He was then sent to the Krome Detention Center in west Miami-Dade.
Health issues arise while in ICE custody
While there, Perez was diagnosed with several medical issues. He was admitted to the Larkin Community Hospital on June 17 due to an unstable angina/esquimes changes on the EKG, according to ICE. He was discharged June 25 and taken back to the Krome Detention Center.
The following day, he told the facility's health staff that he was experiencing chest pains around 7 p.m.
"Miami Dade Rescue arrived at KSPC and initiated life-sustaining interventions to include Automated External Defibrillator shock and cardiopulmonary resuscitation and he responded to revival methods. He was transported to Kendall Florida Hospital for further evaluation and treatment, but was pronounced deceased at 8:42 p.m. by medical staff," ICE said.
Upon his death, ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations notified the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Office of Inspector General, and the ICE Office of Professional Responsibility. The Consulate of Cuba was also notified via telephone of his death.
ICE is required to make public all reports regarding an in-custody death within 90 days, according to the Department of Homeland Security.
Not the first South Florida death in ICE custody
Earlier this month, a Canadian man died at the Bureau of Prisons Federal Detention Center in Miami, according to ICE.
Johnny Noviello, 49, was being detained pending removal from the U.S., officials said. He entered the U.S. in 1988 on a legal visa and became a lawful permanent resident in 1991. He was convicted of drug trafficking and other charges in 2023 and sentenced to a year in prison, officials said.
Noviello was picked up in May and charged with removability because of his drug conviction, authorities said.
In April, a Haitian woman held by ICE died at a detention facility in Pompano Beach, according to the federal agency.
Marie Ange Blaise, 44, died on April 25 at the Broward Transitional Center, the agency said in a news release. The cause of death was under investigation.
Blaise had entered the U.S. without admission or parole on an unspecified date, authorities said.
On Feb. 12, U.S. Customs and Border Protection encountered her at the Henry E. Rohlsen International Airport in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, where she was attempting to board a flight to Charlotte, North Carolina.
That same day, CBP issued her a Notice of Expedited Removal, citing her lack of a valid immigrant visa. She was transferred to ICE custody two days later, first at a staging facility in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She was later moved to Richwood Correctional Center in Oakdale, Louisiana, and finally to the Broward Transitional Center on April 5.
Seven other immigration detainees have in federal custody this year, with 11 deaths reported in 2024.
