Isidro P. Rez lived his entire life by the water, first as a boy in Cuba and then, with his dogs, on a houseboat off the shore of Key Largo.
At the age of sixteen, he came to the United States in 1966 and worked as a fisherman and mechanic. He was found guilty of possessing marijuana in the early 1980s, but according to his family, he changed his ways. In his senior years, he was offered an apartment by his daughter and six stepchildren, but he turned them down.
Alba Patricia Gomez, his stepdaughter, told reporters that he was like a bird that didn’t want to be confined.
Prez, 75, was taken into custody by five immigration agents at a community center on June 5. Prez has a big, white beard in a picture taken by a current family acquaintance. Behind his back are his hands. He was taken by officers to Miami’s Krome North Service Processing Center.
Isidro Perez passed away on Thursday, three weeks later, while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs. According to a government announcement, he had been hospitalized the previous day due to a cardiac problem.
Gomez remarked, “We’re all human, so I don’t understand what’s really going on.” Why do they pick up persons who are 75 years old?
According to official data, Prez is the fifth person to pass away in Florida’s ICE custody this year. Florida has accounted for half of the deaths in the agency’s custody nationally since January. The cause of his death is still being investigated.
When questioned about Perez’s death on Monday, U.S. border czar Tom Homan stated that he was not aware of the case and that “people die in ICE custody, people die in county jails, people die in state prisons.” One should ask how many lives are saved by ICE. Since many of them have illnesses and other conditions when they are placed in detention, we address them quickly away to avoid that.
Prez’s passing occurs just a few days after 49-year-old Canadian Johnny Noviello was discovered unconscious at the federal detention facility in downtown Miami. On June 23, he passed away.
Two more fatalities in January and February were determined to have occurred naturally by medical examiners; however, a Miami Herald investigation revealed evidence of inadequate or delayed medical care. Autopsies and medical records for the three recent fatalities were sought by reporters, but they have not yet been provided.
According to the press announcement regarding Perez’s passing, ICE is still dedicated to making sure that everyone in its care lives in a safe, secure, and compassionate environment. Emergent care is never denied to an illegal alien who is arrested.
According to the government statement, Perez was convicted of substance possession twice in the 1980s: on February 10, 1981, and January 25, 1984. After reaching out to both local courts and the National Archives, the Herald was only able to locate the records for one.
According to documents, Prez and another man were apprehended on a boat in 1981 and charged with conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and possession with intent to distribute approximately 1,500 pounds of marijuana.
According to papers, he was given an extension to help maintain his family before turning himself in, and he was sentenced to 18 months in prison with two years of probation. More than 40 years ago, on January 25, 1984, he began his sentence.
According to 51-year-old Gomez, Prez studied to become a mechanic while incarcerated. In order to make his clients pay for his services, he would undercharge them for auto and boat repairs. He started rescuing dogs and kittens after he was released from prison.
We all make errors because we’re only human, but we always get back up and try again, she remarked. And he did precisely that.Maria Alaniz, 82, began dating Prez immediately after she arrived in the United States from Nicaragua in 1979.
She characterized him as a wonderful individual with whom she had a lovely friendship. He continued to assist in raising her six children, teaching them to fish and swim, even after they split up after seven years of dating.
According to her, he suffered from a weak heart, several heart attacks, a fractured shoulder, injuries sustained in an automobile accident, and was hardly able to move in his final months. She accompanied him to doctor’s appointments and brought him meals every day. When Alaniz was in Krome, he contacted and told Alaniz that he was sleeping on the floor at a facility that was extremely overcrowded and lacked enough beds.
“I’m not here to pass judgment, but what’s happening truly hurts me,” Alaniz remarked.
According to the ICE press statement, Prez was found unfit to remain in the United States after being arrested during a law enforcement operation in Key Largo. Immigrants with criminal records may not be allowed to stay in the nation.
According to his family, he was taken into custody while seated in the Murray Nelson Government Center, a Key Largo community center. A snapshot of his arrest was provided to relatives by a family acquaintance who was there.
Alaniz looked after two of Prez’s three chihuahuas. However, officers brought Chulo, whose former owner Alaniz claimed had previously been imprisoned by ICE, to a humane society. According to Prez’s relatives, they left him tethered outside, but he managed to get away and was struck by a car. The dog was saved by a woman, who is still caring for him. According to Alaniz, Chulo suffered greatly as a result of the arrest.
According to ICE, Prez was identified with multiple health concerns during a routine medical intake the day after his arrest.
He was taken to Larkin Community Hospital on June 17 due to unstable angina, which is characterized by decreased heart blood flow, which can result in chest pain and a heart attack.
He was released from the hospital on June 25. He complained of chest symptoms at Krome’s medical unit the following evening.
He passed away at Florida Kendall Hospital at around nine o’clock.
The morning before he passed away, Prez and Alaniz had a final conversation, during which he promised to call the next day.
In her dream, she saw him lying on a stretcher and pleading for help.
Miami Herald, 2025. Check out miamiherald.com here. Tribune Content Agency, LLC is the distributor.
