Cuban percussionist and composer Degnis Bofill remains in federal immigration custody after Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained him at Miami International Airport while he was returning from professional engagements in New York.
Bofill, a Miami resident known for his work in Afro-Cuban music and jazz, was taken into custody on Aug. 19 after flying home from New York City, where he had attended the Latin Alternative Music Conference and performed at the Pocket Jazz Club in Manhattan, according to the Miami New Times.
His wife, Mara Delgado, said Bofill entered the United States with a visa in 2023 and has an asylum application pending. She said the case had not yet reached its initial interview when he was detained.
"It seems they saw that, either through the airline sharing it with ICE or some other way," Delgado told the New Times. "They let him call me very briefly. I told him not to sign anything."
ICE confirmed Bofill's arrest but offered a different interpretation of his immigration situation. An agency spokesperson told the publication that the musician had not complied with the conditions attached to his admission into the United States in 2023.
"ICE will continue to execute the Trump administration's enforcement priorities by identifying, arresting and removing illegal aliens who violate U.S. law," the agency said.
ICE did not publicly provide additional details about the alleged violation or explain how Bofill's pending asylum application affected its decision to detain him.
Bofill was initially held at a temporary processing facility in Miramar. He has since been transferred to the Krome North Service Processing Center in Miami-Dade County, according to his wife.
Delgado described the conditions at the Miramar facility as "awful and designed to break the spirit of the people detained." She said her husband remains strong and knows that relatives, friends and members of Miami's musical community are working to secure his release.
A fundraising campaign created to pay for Bofill's legal representation received more than $45,000 from over 500 donors within two days, Miami New Times reported.
"Our number one priority is to get him released," Delgado wrote in the campaign. "In a situation like this, time is of the essence. Having proper legal assistance and being able to act quickly can make a huge difference."
Born in Manzanillo, Cuba, in 1987, Bofill began studying music at age 9 and graduated from the José María Ochoa Conservatory in Holguín in 2006, specializing in symphonic and Cuban popular percussion.
He later became part of Havana's music scene before building an international career as a percussionist, vocalist and composer. He has performed or recorded with artists including Arturo O'Farrill, Roberto Fonseca, Orlando Valle "Maraca," Néstor Torres, Brian Lynch, Dave Weckl, Cucu Diamantes and the American rock band Blondie.´
Bofill also founded and directs Golpes Libres, a group that combines traditional Afro-Cuban music with contemporary jazz, improvisation and world-music influences. His official biography credits him with contributions to more than 28 albums, as well as educational workshops and community programs.
In 2022, Bofill played batá drums and sang background vocals on Ancestros Sinfónico, the project by Síntesis, X Alfonso and Eme Alfonso that won the Latin Grammy for Best Folk Album. He later became a voting member of the Latin Recording Academy in January 2025.
"My husband is one of the best Cuban musicians of his generation," Delgado told Miami New Times. "He's very talented and a joy for everybody who meets him. He does a lot for his local community with workshops and events."
Bofill is the second Cuban musician detained by ICE at a U.S. airport within four days. Pianist Andy García Palacios was taken into custody at Los Angeles International Airport on Aug. 15 and transferred to the Adelanto ICE Processing Center in California.
The two cases have alarmed Cuban musicians in Miami, who argue that the artists entered the country legally, established professional careers and have active immigration proceedings. ICE, however, maintains that both musicians failed to comply with the conditions under which they were originally admitted to the United States.
