Immigrant dies in Florida while detained, Trump’s border czar doesn’t seem to care: “Denying people human dignity”
Florida – This week, outrage spread quickly on social media and among groups that help immigrants after Tom Homan, former Acting Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and President Trump’s border security advisor, made very dismissive comments about the death of a 75-year-old man who died while in ICE custody. Isidro Perez, the Cuban national, had lived in the United States for six decades before being arrested in Florida.
During an impromptu exchange with reporters outside the White House on Monday, Homan was asked directly about Perez’s death and whether he had any information on the circumstances surrounding it. Homan’s initial response stunned many: “I’m unaware of that. I’m not aware of that. I mean, people die in ICE custody. People die in county jails. People die in state prisons.”
He went on to argue that ICE facilities operate with what he described as the “highest detention standards in the industry,” insisting that ICE’s efforts to address medical issues upon intake prevent many deaths that would otherwise occur.
Homan elaborated that during his time leading ICE, the agency had invested significant resources into health screenings and treatment of detainees. “You go to ICE.gov and look at our detention standards. It’s the highest detention standards in the industry, at a very expensive cost to the taxpayers,” he added, suggesting that criticism of ICE’s conditions was misinformed or exaggerated.
But Homan’s tone and apparent lack of concern for the loss of life drew rapid criticism. Advocacy groups and commentators said that his comments showed a system that puts punishment ahead of compassion. Adrian Carrasquillo of the Bulwark said that the statement was a clear example of a system that “denies people human dignity.”
This is Homan’s response to the fact that a man who was in the U.S. for 60 years died after 3 weeks in ICE detention. We are denying people human dignity. https://t.co/shSZpSM5go
— Adrian Carrasquillo (@Carrasquillo) June 30, 2025
The National Immigrant Justice Center echoed this sentiment, accusing Homan and ICE of exhibiting a “callous response & blatant disregard for people’s lives,” especially given the growing calls in Congress to expand funding for immigration detention.
Eric Boehm of Reason added his voice to the criticism and stressed the genuinely personal tragedy at the heart of the narrative. He said that even if Perez had died of natural reasons that ICE couldn’t control, the situation underscored the moral weight of detaining a longtime U.S. resident who had once fled oppression to seek refuge in America.
“He lived here for six freakin’ decades,” Boehm wrote, highlighting the tragic irony of Perez’s final days.
Online, anger at Homan’s comments quickly took on a personal dimension, with some users denouncing his remarks as inhumane and hoping for karmic retribution. While responses of rage show how emotional the discussion is, they also show how frustrated the public is with what many consider as a pattern of dehumanization in immigration enforcement.
X user @thesoulsinga in part wrote: “Once Tom Homan gets to hell, he will look up at the one who died in ice custody and beg him for a drop of water but there will be no relief.”
@ccc_personal wrote “People like you go should go far far away”
@ChugDeezNutz added to the comments, saying “There is no hell (or afterlife) but hopefully there is an exception for Homan.”
Officials still haven’t given out detailed details about what caused Perez’s death or whether he received adequate medical care while he was in ICE detention for three weeks. As activists call for accountability and a review of detention policies that critics say put vulnerable immigrants, especially the elderly, at unnecessary risk, calls for an independent investigation have gotten stronger.
As the controversy grows, the incident has brought up longstanding questions about how inmates are treated and if the country’s immigration laws are in line with its stated values of justice and human dignity.
For many, Homan’s words were a devastating reminder of how policy arguments may forget about the real people at their center and how easy it is for a life to slip away in a system that cares more about enforcing rules than showing compassion.
