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Cuban man, 55, witnesses elderly detainee die of pneumonia after sleeping on cold floor at Krome Detention Center

Jun 2025 · Krome, FL, Cuba

Antonio, a 55-year-old Cuban man, was detained at Krome Detention Center in Florida. He described spending six days sleeping on the cold floor in a freezing holding cell known as a 'hielera.' An older man in his 70s who was also sleeping on the cold floor developed pneumonia and died. Antonio said, 'I saw it. I saw it when he died. He went stiff. There were no doctors there.' Another detainee, Julio, corroborated the account, saying the man was taken to the hospital on June 25, 2025, returned to Krome on June 26, and died there. Antonio was later deported to Tapachula, Mexico.

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