The Cuban percussionist Degnis Bofill, based in Miami and a Latin Grammy winner, was detained by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) last Tuesday, as confirmed by his wife through a fundraising campaign on GoFundMe that has already gathered over 154 donors.
Mara Delgado, who organized the campaign, described the situation urgently: "Our top priority is to secure his release. In a situation like this, time is of the essence. Having proper legal assistance and the ability to act quickly can make a huge difference."
Until this Saturday, the campaign had raised $16,470, intended to cover legal fees and manage the potential release of the musician.
Delgado described her husband as a pillar of the Miami music community: “Degnis is not only my partner, my pillar, and my support. He is also a beloved member of the Miami music community: an educator, founder of the Golpes Libres group, and one of the most notable percussionists of his generation.”
The wife pointed out that the arrest has abruptly halted everything her husband had built: "What Degnis had managed to achieve in the United States, both professionally and personally, has been cut short suddenly."
Those who are unable to contribute financially, he requested, can help by sharing the campaign.
Born in Manzanillo, Cuba, in 1987, Bofill built an international career that led him to collaborate with figures such as Roberto Fonseca, Arturo O'Farrill, Orlando Valle «Maraca», Brian Lynch, and Dave Weckl, among others, accumulating more than 28 recorded albums.
In 2022, he received a Latin Grammy in the category of Best Folk Album for his participation in "Ancestros Sinfónico," and since January 2025, he has been part of the voting body of that same academy.
Friends and colleagues reacted with alarm on social media. The composer and producer Jesús Pupo, a friend of the musician, posted on Instagram that Bofill is "the second Cuban musician that ICE has detained this week," referring to the case of the pianist Andy García Palacios, who was arrested on August 15 at Los Angeles International Airport.
"Very sad what is happening, two of my great friends, brothers, artists, great musicians, but even better people have been detained at the airport, at different airports, but they have been detained by ICE due to their immigration status," Pupo stated in his video of denouncement.
The arrest of Bofill occurs in the context of increased ICE operations in Miami, where the agency processed nearly 6,000 immigrants in a single month during July 2026.
The Cuban pianist Andy García has also been in the custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) since August 15, as confirmed by his younger brother Yandy García.
The detention of Cuban musicians by ICE has become a recurring phenomenon in the context of the stricter immigration policies of the U.S. administration.
Previous cases included reggaeton artist El Chulo, arrested in January of this year with a pending deportation order since 2018, and rapper Insurrecto, detained in December 2025 following a traffic accident in Florida.
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