A Venezuelan man detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement died in custody while being transferred between Georgia detention facilities, the agency announced this week.
Jesus Manuel Arenas-Silva, 45, was found unresponsive while en route by bus from the Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla to the Folkston D. Ray ICE Processing Center in Folkston on the morning of July 13, ICE said.
The agency reported that staff called for medical assistance and began lifesaving measures. Arenas-Silva was then transported by emergency medical services personnel to Irwin County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The suspected cause of death is cardiac arrest, but the official cause is pending while further medical examination takes place, according to ICE officials.
Arenas-Silva is the fourth ICE detainee to have died in custody in Georgia under President Donald Trump’s second administration. Two have died by suicide, according to officials, in ICE’s Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin. Another ICE detainee also died during a transfer.
There have now been 22 deaths in ICE custody nationwide in 2026.
Since the start of the federal government’s fiscal year in October 2025, a total of 33 people have lost their lives in ICE detention, making this the deadliest year on record.
“We mourn another tragic death in Georgia and send our deepest condolences to Jesus Manuel’s family,” said Amilcar Valencia, executive director of El Refugio, a Georgia nonprofit that supports immigrant detainees. “We join their cries for justice. ICE endangers the lives of thousands of people every day, putting at risk immigrants who otherwise could be in their communities and with their loved ones, receiving the care they deserve.”
Immigrant rights advocates are planning a protest outside the Irwin County Detention Center on Sunday to protest Arenas-Silva’s death.
According to ICE, Arenas-Silva had entered the U.S. illegally in October 2021 near Calexico, California. The agency arrested him on July 9 during a targeted enforcement action in Dallas, Georgia, following an order of removal from an Atlanta immigration judge, issued in April.
“While in custody, Arenas-Silva received medical care and was seen by medical professionals,” ICE’s press release reads. “ICE is committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments. Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout their stay.
“All people in ICE custody receive medical, dental and mental health intake screenings within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility, a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arriving at a facility, access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. At no time during detention is a detained noncitizen denied emergency care.”
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