A Cuban musician who built a career in South Florida is now behind bars in an immigration detention center, prompting his wife to make an emotional appeal for his release.
Degnis Nelson Bofill Miranda, 39, was detained by ICE on Aug. 19 after flying from New York to Miami International Airport. He was later transferred to the Krome Detention Center in Miami-Dade County.
His wife, Mara Delgado, said she was stunned when she learned agents were waiting for him at the airport.
“He landed at Miami Airport. He was coming from New York and they were waiting for him there,” Delgado told CBS News Miami.
“Awful. I started panicking, because with everything that’s been going on, I knew it’s always a possibility with us, immigrants,” she said.
Delgado said the prospect of deportation has left her terrified about their future.
“I’m concerned about him getting deported, because I don’t know when I will be able to see him again,” she said.
The couple met in Cuba and married in 2023, the same year Bofill arrived in the United States.
ICE has confirmed that Bofill came to the country legally, but that he violated the terms of his admission.
“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,” ICE told CBS News Miami.
Delgado said her husband has a pending asylum application, but the case had not yet reached its first interview when he was detained.
Bofill has launched a fundraiser seeking $60,000 for attorneys’ fees and a possible bond.
So far, more than $50,000 of the target has been raised.
The Daily Beast has contacted DHS for comment.
Bofill is an accomplished percussionist and composer who won the 2022 Latin Grammy for Best Folk Album for “Ancestros Sinfónico.” Delgado also said he has served as a member of the Latin Recording Academy’s voting body since January 2025.
