Tweet

LATIN GRAMMY-WINNING CUBAN MUSICIAN DEGNIS BOFILL DETAINED BY ICE AT MIAMI AIRPORT

MIAMI, Florida — Latin Grammy-winning Cuban percussionist and composer Degnis Bofill remains in U.S. immigration custody after being detained at Miami International Airport while returning home from professional engagements in New York.

Bofill, 39, was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on August 19 after arriving on a flight from New York, where he had reportedly attended the Latin Alternative Music Conference and performed at Manhattan’s Pocket Jazz Club.

ICE confirmed that Bofill legally entered the United States on April 15, 2023, but the agency says he later failed to comply with the terms of his admission and is now in violation of immigration law. ICE said he will receive due process.

His wife, Mara Delgado, however, says Bofill has a pending asylum application and is seeking his release while the immigration process continues. According to reports, he was initially held at an immigration processing facility in Miramar before being transferred to the Krome detention facility in Miami-Dade County.

The case has sparked significant concern within South Florida’s Cuban and music communities.

Delgado has launched an online fundraising campaign to help cover legal representation and a possible bond. Reports indicate supporters contributed more than $45,000 within the first few days.

Bofill is widely respected in Afro-Cuban and jazz circles. In 2022, he contributed batá percussion and background vocals to “Ancestros Sinfónico,” which won the Latin Grammy Award for Best Folk Album. He later became a voting member of the Latin Recording Academy in 2025.

His detention comes amid heightened attention on U.S. immigration enforcement involving individuals with pending immigration proceedings.

For now, Bofill remains in federal custody as his family, attorneys and supporters await the next developments in his case.