interview with VoyageMIA magazine.<\/a><\/p>\nHe trained in piano and voice but specialized in percussion instruments like congas, drums, and timbales.<\/p>\n
\u201cMusic is more than his work, it\u2019s his whole life, his passion,\u201d Delgado said.<\/p>\n
The Latin Recording Academy awarded him a Grammy in 2022 for his work as a background vocalist and musician in \u201cAncestros Sinf\u00f3nicos,\u201d an album from the Cuban fusion band S\u00edntesis that won in the Best Folk Album Category. The following year, he traveled to the United States on a visa through OneBeat, an arts exchange program sponsored by the U.S. State Department. \u201cI am very happy to be part of this adventure,\u201d he wrote on his Instagram about the music residency program.<\/p>\n
Bofill was on an exchange visa, Delgado said, but quickly decided to seek asylum based on personal circumstances. ICE acknowledged that Bofill had legally entered the U.S. but said he had \u201cfailed to comply with the terms of his admission.\u201d<\/p>\n
Under federal and international law, immigrants in the U.S. can seek asylum regardless of whether they overstayed visas or entered illegally. They are also authorized to be here for the duration of their cases.<\/p>\n
Delgado and Bofill met through a mutual friend in Havana, Delgado said, though she knew his face from performances around Havana. The couple has been together for over six years, moving in when the pandemic started, coming to the U.S. together when Bofill was selected for the fellowship, and getting married in 2023.<\/p>\n
Starting over in Miami was difficult, said Delgado. But Bofill quickly found a place in the city\u2019s cultural scene. He made friendships across genres, spanning from pop to urban.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s charming. If you look up the definition of the word in the dictionary, a picture of him shows up. But not in a superficial way. This charm deepens the more you know him,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
In music, Bofill also found a social mission. In Cuba, he visited rural communities to find musically talented children and help them connect with the resources for a music education. In Miami, he was a music therapist and also directed Golpes Libres, a percussion ensemble experimenting with traditional and modern sounds.<\/p>\n
Delgado, a legal assistant studying to become a certified paralegal, was on vacation visiting friends in Canada when she learned her husband had been detained. \u201cI couldn\u2019t crumble because he was on the phone,\u201d she said. \u201cHe needed me to tell him that everything would be ok.\u201d<\/p>\n
Delgado hopped on the first flight she could back to South Florida. Since then, she has advocated for her husband and launched a GoFundMe to get him legal representation. The online fundraiser has already raised over $50,000. \u201cMy priority is to get him released,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
On his Instagram account, Bofill shared snippets of his musical life: A poster announcing a performance honoring Celia Cruz in North Miami. A photo of his name tag at the Latin Alternative Music Conference. A video dancing his latest single on Wynwood\u2019s graffitied streets.<\/p>\n
Two days before ICE detained him, Bofill posted a behind-the-scenes video for his latest release, Caminate Miami. He sways from side to side on the conga, accompanied by musicians playing the trumpet, saxophone, guitar, drums and piano.<\/p>\n
The scene cuts to Bofill with a big smile as he drives in a convertible, the background shifting into city skylines, verdant greenery, and turquoise waters, singing for his adopted city.<\/p>\n
.<\/p>\n
This story was originally published August 26, 2026 at 4:54 PM.<\/p>\n
Syra Ortiz Blanes<\/a><\/p>\n el Nuevo Herald<\/p>\n
Syra Ortiz Blanes covers immigration for the Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald. Previously, she was the Puerto Rico and Spanish Caribbean reporter for the Heralds through Report for America.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Degnis Bofill playing the conga in a photo from his recent music video for Caminate Miami Degis Bofill…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":382145,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[225,227,226],"class_list":["post-382144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hialeah","tag-hialeah","tag-hialeah-headlines","tag-hialeah-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=382144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/382144\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/382145"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=382144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=382144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=382144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Degnis](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/bofill.jpeg\" "\\"Degnis")
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