Degnis Nelson Bofill Miranda landed at Miami International Airport on August 19, arriving on a flight from New York. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents were waiting for him.
Bofill, 39, is a Cuban percussionist and composer who won a 2022 Latin Grammy for Best Folk Album for "Ancestros Sinfónico." He has been a member of the Latin Recording Academy's voting body since January 2025. Now he is sitting in federal immigration custody at the Krome Detention Center in Miami-Dade County, separated from his wife, his community, and his instruments.
His wife, Mara Delgado, spoke to CBS News Miami about what happened the moment her husband was taken into custody. "He landed at Miami Airport. He was coming from New York and they were waiting for him there," she said. Her reaction was immediate. "Awful. I started panicking, because with everything that's been going on, I knew it's always a possibility with us, immigrants," she said.
ICE confirmed the arrest in a statement. "Degnis Nelson Bofill Miranda, an illegal alien from Cuba, was arrested by ICE in Miami on Aug. 19 during an immigration enforcement operation," an ICE spokesperson said. The statement continued: "Bofill legally entered the United States on April 15, 2023, but failed to comply with the terms of his admission and is now in violation of immigration law. He will receive due process."
Bofill came to the United States in 2023, the same year he and Delgado married. The couple had met in Cuba. Delgado said her husband has a pending asylum case and wants to continue that process outside of detention. Before being transferred to Krome, Bofill spent several days at the Miramar ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations office.
Delgado's primary fear is deportation. "I'm concerned about him getting deported, because I don't know when I will be able to see him again," she told CBS News Miami. She repeated that fear more than once during her interview.
To cover legal expenses and a potential bond, Delgado launched an online fundraiser with a goal of $60,000. As of Monday night, the South Florida community had already contributed significant support toward that total. Her immediate goal is getting her husband released while his immigration case continues.
