Venezuelan National Dies in ICE Custody

A 45-year-old Venezuelan national, Jesus Manuel Arenas-Silva, died Monday while being transported between immigration detention facilities in Georgia. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials confirmed the death, marking the 22nd fatality in agency custody during the 2025 calendar year.

Arenas-Silva was found unresponsive on a transport bus while en route from the Irwin County Detention Center to the Folkston ICE Processing Center. Agency officials identified the preliminary cause of death as cardiac arrest. The deceased had been apprehended in Dallas, Georgia, last week following a removal order issued by an immigration judge in April.

The incident occurs amid a broader increase in mortality rates within federal immigration detention, with 33 total deaths reported by the agency in 2025, the highest figure in over two decades. The Department of Homeland Security is currently facing heightened scrutiny regarding enforcement protocols following a series of recent fatalities involving detainees and enforcement operations. The Irwin County facility, which previously faced federal investigations regarding medical practices, resumed operations last year. Independent reviews of the circumstances surrounding these deaths remain a point of contention for international human rights observers.