Cuban man tries to strangle himself following arrest in Miami immigration court
Jesus Rodriguez Delgado holds his granddaughter. He tried strangled himself after federal agents placed him in handcuffs at the immigration court in Miami on April 30, 2025. (Photo courtesy of Elisavel Torres)
This story discusses suicide. If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health crisis, contact the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline by calling or texting '988' or chatting online at http://988lifeline.org/.
A 64-year-old man from Cuba started strangling himself and saying he was going to kill himself after federal agents arrested him at the Miami immigration court on Friday morning.
Jesus Rodriguez Delgado, 64, started yelling in Spanish that he would kill himself rather than be sent back to Cuba, said Karla De Anda, a community advocate who called for help as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents struggled to remove Rodriguez Delgado's handcuffed hands from his neck.
'It was the most horrible thing I've seen in my life,' De Anda said in Spanish. 'Hopefully, they'll help him because he can't go back to Cuba.'
The man's reaction wasn't surprising to his partner, Elisavel Torres, who told Florida Phoenix from inside the courthouse that Rodriguez Delgado had been a political prisoner in Cuba for 28 years and had lived in Mexico for six years before coming to the U.S. De Anda added that Rodriguez Delgado had said he had been imprisoned and would be killed if deported to Cuba.
Torres wept as she said that she couldn't understand why the judge agreed to dismiss Rodriguez Delgado's deportation case — exposing him to expedited removal. An application for permanent residency that Rodriguez Delgado submitted in January states he entered the country under humanitarian parole in 2021. Torres said Rodriguez Delgado received a work permit in April.
'He had told me he wouldn't go back to Cuba, that he would die first, and it will be that way,' Torres told the Phoenix in Spanish.
ICE and Homeland Security Investigations officials arrested at least seven people during the four hours that the Phoenix reporter observed activity inside the courthouse.
Reports emerged last week of arrests in immigration courts across the country after judges dismissed cases at the request of the Department of Homeland Security. Still, Rodriguez Delgado's attempt to strangle himself was the strongest reaction advocates witnessed on Friday. Others arrested cried and some remained quiet and looked at the ground.
'You show up and get deported anyway': Migrants with court hearings face an impossible choice
The agents told Torres that they would make sure Rodriguez Delgado was OK and would give him a list of pro bono attorneys, but couldn't at the time of his arrest say where he would go. Torres, a U.S. citizen, said the couple knew about the arrests but still decided to come to the hearing from Naples rather than requesting an online hearing.
'We had faith in God that we were doing everything right, so we said we would come in person,' Torres said. 'What a huge mistake.'
Her tears intensified as she told Rodriguez Delgado's daughter about her father's arrest over the phone.
'I was born in this country, and I am ashamed to say I'm American,' Torres said, adding that there were no words to describe how she felt when federal agents placed her partner in handcuffs.
Immigration attorney Cindy Blandon told the Phoenix that she's noticed those who end up arrested for expedited removal lack lawyers. Few people in the court on Friday morning had attorneys, with some citing money as a barrier to obtaining legal representation.
Having an ongoing asylum or permanent residency case doesn't exempt people from expedited deportations, Blandon said.
'Being placed under an expedited removal process doesn't mean your case is closed,' she said. 'People have a right to due process. The problem is that if you don't have legal representation and you don't know how to navigate the situation, you will likely end up deported.'
The mood on various floors of the courthouse grew more tense as people awaiting hearings heard about or saw the arrests.
But Blandon, De Anda, and Maria Asuncion Bilbao, with the American Friends Service Committee, noted that the arrests in the court appeared much calmer compared to the mass raids, such as the one that took place in Tallahassee on Thursday.
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