3 March 26 - april 1, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ SOUTHWEST FLORIDA TOO YOUNG ROYER PEREZ-JIMENEZ, A 19-YEAR-OLD FROM MEXICO, DIED IN ICE CUSTODY ON MARCH 16. BY ALEX DELUCA A Mexican teenager has died while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in South Florida, according to a statement from the agency. Royer Perez-Jimenez, a 19-year-old from Mexico, died on March 16 at the Glades County Detention Center — a county jail on the western shore of Lake Okeechobee that has long housed immigrant detainees and been the subject of allegations of abuse. Ac- cording to ICE, Perez “died of a presumed suicide,” although his official cause of death remains under investigation. He appears to be the youngest person to die in ICE custody since President Donald Trump took office again in January 2025, ac- cording to ICE records. According to ICE’s statement, at around 2:30 a.m. on March 16, a Glades County de- tention officer found Perez “unconscious and unresponsive.” Staff began CPR, and medical personnel arrived minutes later, determined he was without a pulse, and took over resusci- tation efforts before requesting emergency medical services. At around 2:40 a.m., fire rescue officials arrived and “initiated-life sustaining inter- ventions” on Perez, according to the agency. He was pronounced dead at 2:51 a.m. Nestor Yglesias, a spokesperson for ICE, did not respond to New Times’ questions about Perez, including whether he was on suicide watch at the time of his death. When Perez first entered the United States in February 2022, he encountered U.S. Border Patrol and was “granted a voluntary return” to Mexico the same day, according to ICE. He later “illegally reentered” the U.S., al- though it’s unclear when, exactly. On January 22, Perez was arrested by the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office and charged with impersonation and resisting an officer, both misdemeanors, according to an arrest re- port obtained by New Times (although ICE’s statement characterized the impersonation charge as a felony). Police say they tried to pull Perez over while he was riding a scooter be- cause he was cross- ing traffic lanes without using a crosswalk. But he allegedly refused to stop and gave offi- cers multiple false names. According to the report, Perez eventually told police he had “overstayed his visa and is currently in the United States ille- gally,” and said he had no documentation to prove his name or date of birth. ICE placed an immigration detainer on him that same day, the agency says, and he was transferred into ICE custody on Febru- ary 21 before being moved to Glades County Detention Center on February 26. ICE says that Perez was evaluated by med- ical staff at intake and didn’t report any be- havioral health issues, including answering “no” to all suicide screening questions. Glades County Detention Center has long faced allegations of abuse. In 2022, 17 members of Congress asked that it be closed, citing immi- grants being “subject to racist abuse, often re- sulting in verbal abuse and violence; sexual abuse, including sexual voyeurism by guards who have watched women shower; life-endan- gering COVID-19 and medical neglect, includ- ing a near-fatal carbon monoxide leak last November; and regular exposure to highly dan- gerous levels of a toxic disinfectant chemical spray linked to severe medical harms and long- term damage to reproductive health.” At least 36 people have died in ICE cus- tody since January 2025, according to ICE. [email protected] | RIPTIDE | ICE says Royer Perez-Jimenez, 19, “died of a presumed suicide.” His official cause of death remains under investigation. Photo by vladislav/AdobeStock ▼ MIAMI BEACH MOVIN’ ON DOWN THE CEO OF PALANTIR QUIETLY BOUGHT A $46 MILLION MANSION BEFORE THE COMPANY’S MOVE TO MIAMI. BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN I t appears that Palantir Technologies’ move to the Sunshine State didn’t come out of thin air. As first reported by the Real Deal, Alex Karp, CEO of the controversial software company, purchased a $46 million mansion on Miami’s Ve- netian Islands in June, eight months before the company’s headquarters abruptly moved from Denver to Aventura. Property records reveal that Hibiscus East LLC bought the 9,700-square-foot home at 55 E. San Marino Dr. on San Marino Island. Accord- ing to the Florida Department of State, the lim- ited liability company’s representative is New Hampshire-based lawyer Patrick Collins, who has been tied to Karp’s other real estate deal- ings. Karp’s fellow Palantir cofounder and current company chairman, Peter Thiel, bought two homes on the Venetian Islands for $18 million in 2020 with plans to build a modern compound. Last month, Palantir, which develops surveil- lance and data integration tools used by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to track undocumented immigrants, moved its headquarters to a co-working space next to Aventura Mall. Its Denver headquarters was the site of constant protests over its work with the U.S. Department of Defense and ICE. However, the protests have since followed the company’s move to South Florida. Karp is among a wave of billionaires snatch- ing up property in South Florida, leaving states like California, which are considering legislation taxing the ultra-wealthy. Earlier this month, former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz announced that he and his wife are leaving Seattle for South Florida. The couple purchased a $44 million penthouse at the Surf Club, Four Seasons Private Residences in Surfside. Schultz didn’t join his fellow billionaires on Indian Creek, more commonly known as Miami’s Billionaire Bunker, whose residents include Jeff Bezos, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, and Tom Brady (don’t worry, the community accepts millionaires too). Most recently, Facebook founder and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg bought a $170 million mansion on Indian Creek, setting the record for the most expensive home purchase in Miami- Dade County. [email protected] AT LEAST 36 PEOPLE HAVE DIED IN ICE CUSTODY SINCE JANUARY 2025.
