Miami – Isidro Perez spent his life at the sea. First, I spent my childhood in Cuba and finally, with my dog on a houseboat off the coast of Key Largo.
He arrived in the United States in 1966 at the age of 16 and worked as a mechanic and fisherman. In the early 1980s, he was convicted of possession of marijuana, but his family said he had turned his life around. His daughter and six stepchildren offered to buy him an apartment in his later years, but he declined.
“He was like a bird that didn’t want to be caged up,” his stepdaughter, Alba Patricia Gomez, told reporters.
On June 5, five immigration officers arrested Perez, 75, at the Community Center. A photo taken at the moment by a family friend shows Perez with a long white whisker. His hands are behind his back. Officers took him to the Chrome North Service Processing Center in Miami.
Three weeks later, Perez died in US immigration and customs custody. A government statement indicates that he was in the hospital due to heart disease the day before.
“I really don’t know what’s going on. We’re all human,” Gomez said. “Why are they picking up 75-year-olds?”
Perez is the fifth person to die in Florida this year in ice custody, according to government records. Half of all deaths since January of custody of government agencies across the country have been in Florida. His official cause of death is still under investigation.
“People die in ice detention, people die in county jails, people die in state prisons,” said U.S. border emperor Tom Homan when asked about Perez’s death on Monday, he pointed out he was unaware of the incident. “The question is how many lives will the ice save? Because when they are taken into custody, we find a lot of things that we have to deal with quickly to prevent that.”
Perez’s death comes days after Johnny Noviero, a 49-year-old Canadian man, was found unresponsive at a federal detention center in downtown Miami. He passed away on June 23rd.
Medical inspectors determined that the deaths of two other people in January and February were natural causes, but Miami’s decree investigation found evidence of substandard or delayed medical care. Reporters have requested an autopsy and medical report of the recent deaths of three, but have not yet received them.
“ICE remains committed to ensuring that all people in its detention exist in a safe, safe and humane environment,” a news release on Perez’s death said. “An illegal aliens detained while in custody will not be denied any denied emergency care.”
A government statement noted that Perez was found guilty of material possession in the 1980s. February 10th, 1981 and January 25th, 1984. The Herald contacted the National Archives and the District Court and was able to find only one record.
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In 1981, Perez and another man were stopped on a boat and accused of “conspiracy to own with the intention to distribute” and “owning with the intention to distribute”, records show.
He was sentenced to 18 months on two years’ probation and was given extra time to support his family before attracting himself, documents show. He began his sentence on January 25, 1984, more than 40 years ago.
Gomez, 51, said Perez studied to become a mechanic while he was in prison. He repaired both cars and boats and was below his clients so that the client could afford his services. After he left prison, he began rescueting cats and dogs.
“We’re the kind of person you know, we make mistakes, but we’re going to recreate ourselves,” she said. “And that’s exactly what he did.”
Maria Alanis, 82, met Perez when she arrived in the US from Nicaragua in 1979 and soon began dating. She described him as a “great person” who shared “beautiful friendship.” When they separated together seven years later, he continued to raise her six children and teach them to swim and fish.
He was barely able to walk in the last few months after the car hit him, after suffering a heart, multiple heart attacks, a broken shoulder and injuries. She brought him food every day and took him to a medical appointment. Alanis recalls that he received a call from him while he was in Chrome. There he explained that he was sleeping on the floor in a heavily overcrowded facility with no adequate beds.
“I’m not a judgement person, but it really hurts me, what’s going on,” Alanis said.
The Ice News release states that Pérez is being detained “during law enforcement action at Key Largo” and is not considered eligible to remain in the United States. A criminal conviction can make it difficult to admit that immigrants will remain in the country.
His family said he was arrested while sitting at the Murray Nelson Government Center, a community center in Key Largo. A family friend who attended sent a relative photo of his arrest.
Perez had three Chihuahuas, two of which were in care of Alanis. However, the churro — the former owner, Alaniz, said he was detained on ice — was taken into humane society by officers. They tied him outside, but he ran away and was attacked by a car, Perez’s family said. A woman saves the dog and continues to look after him.
Churro “suffered from being arrested,” Alanis said.
The day after his arrest, during his standard medical intake, Perez was diagnosed with several health issues, Ice said. On June 17th, he was admitted to Larkin Community Hospital with “unstable angina pectoris.” It reduced blood flow to the heart, which can cause chest pain and lead to heart attacks.
On June 25th, he was discharged from the hospital. The next night he reported chest pain at Chrome’s medical unit. He passed away at Florida Kendall Hospital around 9pm.
Perez and Alanis last spoke on the morning before he passed away, and he said he would call the next day.
She dreamed of him: he lay on a stretcher, seeking “rescue, rescue, rescue.”
