The Cuban percussionist Degnis Bofill, a Latin Grammy winner, confirmed through his social media that he has been released after more than two weeks in custody of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Florida.
He did so through a brief video on his Instagram account, in which Bofill simply confirmed his release on bail and expressed gratitude, without providing details about the circumstances of his release or his current immigration status.
He did not specify under what conditions he was released or what will happen with his immigration process.
“Hello everyone, my name is Denis Bofill and I am making this video to announce that I was released on bail today and also to sincerely thank all the people who have sent me messages, worried about me, contributed to GoFundMe, and to all the press that has covered this as well,” said the musician in the clip.
"Honestly, truly, from the bottom of my heart once again, thank you very, very much," he added.
The journalist Maylin Legañoa from Telemundo 51 had broken the news a few hours before the musician made a public statement.
The arrest and the weeks in Krome
Bofill was arrested on August 19 by ICE agents at Miami International Airport while returning from New York, where he had participated in the Latin Alternative Music Conference.
ICE stated that the musician entered the country in April 2023 with a J-1 visa, but did not comply with the terms of his admission.
His lawyer challenged that account: he argued that Bofill had applied for political asylum before his visa expired, which should have protected his residency.
"With a pending asylum process, there should be no problem," said the lawyer in statements to the mentioned media outlet.
After the arrest, the percussionist spent several days in ICE facilities in Miramar before being transferred to the Krome North Processing Center in Miami-Dade.
The wave of solidarity
During the detention, his wife Mara Delgado organized a campaign on the fundraising platform GoFundMe, which raised over $51,700 from more than 600 donors.
The video of the release sparked a wave of reactions.
Several artists congratulated the musician in the comments, including singers Leoni Torres, Joao del Monte, Kamankola, and Jennifer Almedia.
Actors such as Boncó Quiñongo, Claudia Valdés, Yerlin Pérez, Aly Sánchez, and Osvaldo Doimeadiós, among others, also expressed their joy.
Doimeadiós took the opportunity to request that solidarity be extended: "Congratulations, hopefully Andy will be out soon as well. A big hug," he wrote, referring to the pianist Andy García Palacios, who is currently in ICE custody.
Another Cuban musician still detained
García Palacios was arrested on August 15 at Los Angeles International Airport, four days before Bofill, and remains detained at the Adelanto Processing Center in California.
One of Bofill's first actions after regaining freedom was to share on his Instagram stories the GoFundMe campaign for García.
The migration context
Both cases are part of a escalation of ICE operations against Cubans under the Trump administration.
According to data from the Cato Institute, arrests of Cubans by that agency increased by 463% between late 2024 and early 2026, and over 42,000 Cubans have final deportation orders pending in U.S. territory.
Bofill, born in Manzanillo in 1987, is the founder of the group Golpes Libres and won the Latin Grammy 2022 in the Best Folk Album category for his participation in "Ancestros Sinfónico," by Síntesis, X Alfonso, and Eme Alfonso.
El caso de Bofill es uno de los tantos que involucran a cubanos detenidos por ICE en Estados Unidos. Sigue toda la actualidad migratoria en nuestra sección de
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