Venezuelan migrant dies in ICE custody in Georgia; 22 deaths recorded in 2026

A 45-year-old Venezuelan migrant has died while in the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Georgia, bringing the total number of migrant deaths in ICE detention this year to 22. The deceased has been identified as Jesús Manuel Arenas Silva.

According to an ICE statement, Arenas Silva was found unresponsive on a bus transferring him from the Irwin County Detention Center to the Folkston D. Ray Processing Center. Emergency services transported him to the Irwin County Hospital, where he was pronounced dead less than an hour later. ICE suspects cardiac arrest as the cause of death, pending a full medical examination.

This death occurs against a backdrop of increasing migrant fatalities in ICE custody. The National Immigration Project reports that 33 migrants died in ICE custody in 2025, the highest figure in two decades. Human Rights Watch noted in a recent report that the mortality rate for migrants detained by ICE has more than doubled since the start of Donald Trump's second presidency.

The incident also follows a week of heightened tensions and protests related to ICE actions. Two men were recently killed by ICE agents during traffic stops, and another migrant died after fleeing an immigration operation in Florida. ICE stated that Arenas Silva received medical attention while in custody and had been ordered for removal to Venezuela by an immigration judge in April.