Latin Grammy Winner Degnis Nelson Bofill Miranda Detained at Miami Airport, as Wife Mara Delgado Seeks Release and Help With His Immigration Case

MIAMI, FL — A Latin Grammy-winning Cuban musician is in federal immigration custody after being detained at Miami International Airport, and his wife says she is trying to get him released while his case moves through the system.

Degnis Nelson Bofill Miranda, 39, was taken into custody by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on Aug. 19 after arriving in Miami on a flight from New York. His wife, Mara Delgado, says she fears he could be deported and does not know when she will see him again.

Delgado said the musician was first held at the Miramar ERO Office before being transferred to the Krome Detention Center in Miami-Dade County. She has asked for public help as she tries to bring him home.

What his wife says happened after the airport arrest

Delgado said her husband had landed in Miami and was waiting to be picked up when officers were already there. She described the moment he was taken as sudden and terrifying, saying the situation left her panicked because she knew immigration detention was always a possibility for her family.

The couple met in Cuba and married in 2023, the same year Bofill came to the United States. Delgado said he has a pending asylum case and wants to continue that process outside of detention. She has said the separation has been especially hard because he is away from his family, his community, and his instruments.

In comments to CBS News Miami, Delgado said she is focused on keeping his case moving and on getting him released while he pursues relief in immigration court. Her concern, she said, is not just the legal process but the uncertainty of not knowing when they will be reunited.

A musician known beyond Miami's Cuban scene

Bofill is known as a percussionist and composer in Cuban music circles, and Delgado says he is well regarded among musicians of his generation in South Florida. His profile expanded further when he won the 2022 Latin Grammy for Best Folk Album for Ancestros Sinfónico.

Delgado also said he has been part of the Latin Recording Academy’s voting body since January 2025. She has described him as a pillar of Miami’s music community, which makes his detention especially painful for supporters who know him through his artistic work rather than through immigration headlines.

ICE confirmed the arrest in a statement to CBS News Miami, saying Bofill legally entered the United States on April 15, 2023, but later failed to comply with the terms of his admission. The agency said he will receive due process.

Fundraiser grows as supporters back the family

To cover legal expenses and a possible bond, Delgado launched an online fundraiser with a goal of $60,000. By Monday night, she said, the campaign had already drawn significant support from South Florida.

For now, her main aim is straightforward: she wants her husband out of detention while his immigration case continues. Until that happens, Delgado says the hardest part remains the same uncertainty that has followed the arrest from the airport to the detention center.

She says she keeps returning to the same thought as she pushes for help: she does not know when she will be able to see him again.

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