Jairo Garcia-Hernandez

Synopsis

Jairo Garcia-Hernandez, a 27-year-old Guatemalan man, died on February 16, 2026, while in ICE custody in Miami, according to Miami New Times and ICE reporting cited by the outlet. ICE said he collapsed unexpectedly and became unresponsive at Larkin Community Hospital in Miami, and that despite CPR he was pronounced dead; his cause of death remained under investigation. The article says ICE described Garcia-Hernandez as having a long history of severe medical complications and being in poor health when taken into custody in January 2025. ICE's timeline in the report says he was transferred to Larkin Community Hospital Behavioral Health Center in Hollywood in October 2025, then to Larkin Community Hospital in Miami in January 2026, where he was treated as an immunocompromised patient for fever before his death the following month. According to the same report, ICE said Garcia-Hernandez's first encounter with immigration authorities was in April 2021 near Santa Teresa, New Mexico. The article also cites ICE statements about a 2023 New York arrest and a 2024 weapons conviction with time served before later law-enforcement contact and transfer to immigration custody in 2025. Miami New Times contextualized his death among a larger number of deaths in ICE custody since January 2025, including other deaths linked to South Florida detention operations.

Key takeaways

From court records, news reporting, and linked sources below.

  1. Jairo Garcia-Hernandez, 27, died February 16, 2026, in ICE custody at Larkin Community Hospital in Miami; ICE said cause of death was under investigation.
  2. ICE said he collapsed unexpectedly around 1:06 a.m., became unresponsive, and was pronounced dead at 2:01 a.m. after resuscitation efforts.
  3. The report states ICE considered him medically fragile, with severe prior complications and immunocompromised status.
  4. ICE's timeline says he was in ICE custody from January 2025, transferred to Larkin Behavioral Health in October 2025, and then to Larkin Miami in January 2026.
  5. The story places his death within a broader pattern of ICE custody deaths and ongoing concerns about detention conditions in Florida.

Reference links

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