Latin Grammy-winning Cuban percussionist Degnis Bofill released on bond after ICE arrest in Miami

Foto: Generic image: hand on an iyá batá drum during a percussion class in Havana — vxla / Flickr (CC BY 2.0), not a photo of the subject

September 28, 2026

Cuban percussionist and composer Degnis Nelson Bofill Miranda, a Latin Grammy winner who lives in Miami, was released on bond in early September 2026 after ICE held him since August 19, when agents detained him at Miami International Airport as he returned from New York, according to Miami New Times, CBS Miami, Periódico Cubano and CubitaNOW.

ICE said Bofill, born in Manzanillo in 1987, entered the United States legally on April 15, 2023, but "failed to comply with the terms of his admission." His wife, Mara Delgado, and his attorney argued that he has a pending asylum application and should not remain detained while that case proceeds. After the arrest he was moved from Miramar facilities to the Krome North Processing Center in Miami-Dade.

A GoFundMe campaign led by Delgado raised more than $50,000 for legal costs. CubitaNOW and local coverage placed his release from Krome around September 2–3; reports since then say he remains under an intensive supervision program that includes electronic monitoring while the immigration case continues.

Bofill contributed to the album Ancestros Sinfónico, which won the 2022 Latin Grammy for Best Folk Album, leads the project Golpes Libres and is a visible figure in South Florida's Cuban music scene. His detention came days after Los Angeles ICE agents arrested Cuban pianist Andy García Palacios, another case that mobilized Miami's artistic community.

Fuente: Miami New Times; CBS Miami; Periódico Cubano; CubitaNOW

Musician, Composer, Music

Degnis Nelson Bofill Miranda is a Cuban percussionist, composer and educator born in Manzanillo in 1987. Trained at the José María Ochoa Conservatory in Holguín, he specialized in symphonic and popular percussion. In the United States he leads the group Golpes Libres and contributed to Sintesis, X Alfonso and Eme Alfonso's album Ancestros Sinfónico, which won the 2022 Latin Grammy for Best Folk Album.

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