Ken Cuccinelli, the former acting deputy secretary for the Department of Homeland Security during Donald Trump’s first term, dismissed the death of a migrant in ICE custody with a despicably heartless remark on Tuesday.
According to the Miami Herald, Cuban migrant Isidro Pérez,75, was taken into ICE custody on June 5 even though he had a heart condition. He died three weeks later.
Pérez has been in the country since he was 16-years-old and worked as a mechanic and fisherman. His family said he served time in prison 40 years ago for charges related to marijuana possession, but has turned his life around.
Asked about Pérez’s death in an interview on CNN Tuesday, Cuccinelli said “we’re all going to” die.
“Well, I mean, he is over 75, so there’s a certain statistical aspect to this,” he said in a clip highlighted by Mediaite.
“Nobody wants people to die, but we’re all going to, and, you know, we’re literally talking about a population of 10 to 20 million illegal aliens, and, you know, as they come into the process, they do get medical reviews if they’re going to be detained long term, and, you know, this person died while he was in detention,” Cuccinelli continued. “I’m sorry to hear that, but it’s not like you can just decide that on the doorstep of somebody you’re picking up.”
Pérez’s death brings the total number of reported deaths in ICE custody to 12 since the beginning of fiscal year 2025, which began last October, according to ICE.
Trump’s ‘border czar’ Tom Homan similar dismissed Pérez’s death on Tuesday.
“I’m unaware of that, I’m not aware of that. I mean, people die in ICE custody, people die in county jail, people die in state prisons,” he said before arguing that ICE is saving lives.
“What the question should be is how many lives does ICE save? Because when they go into detention we find many with diseases and stuff that we deal with right away to prevent death,” he said.
