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Venezuelan man dies in ICE custody after medication denied during Georgia detention transfer

Jul 14, 2026 · Ocilla, GA, Venezuela

Venezuelan man dies in ICE custody after medication denied during Georgia detention transfer

Jesús Manuel Arenas-Silva, a 45-year-old Venezuelan man, died on July 13, 2026, during a bus transfer between ICE detention centers in Georgia. ICE agents arrested him at his home in Dallas, Georgia on July 9, 2026. According to his sister, ICE allowed him to take only one of the multiple medications he needed despite the family's pleas not to detain him due to his medical needs. During his four days in detention at Irwin County Detention Center, Arenas-Silva called his sister to report that he was not receiving the medication he depended on. Staff found him unresponsive on the transfer bus between Irwin County Detention Center and Folkston ICE Processing Center at 7:46 a.m., and he was pronounced dead at Irwin County Hospital at 8:31 a.m. Cardiac arrest was listed as the suspected cause of death pending medical examination. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the incident. His death was one of four fatalities in immigration enforcement encounters within a single week.

Timeline

Jul 9, 2026ICE agents arrested Jesús Manuel Arenas-Silva at his home in Dallas, Georgia
Jul 9, 2026ICE allowed Arenas-Silva to take only one of his multiple required medications despite family pleas regarding his medical needs
Jul 9, 2026Arenas-Silva detained at Irwin County Detention Center for four days; called his sister reporting he was not receiving required medication
Jul 13, 2026Arenas-Silva found unresponsive on transfer bus between Irwin County Detention Center and Folkston ICE Processing Center at 7:46 a.m.; pronounced dead at Irwin County Hospital at 8:31 a.m. with cardiac arrest as suspected cause
Jul 13, 2026Georgia Bureau of Investigation opened investigation into the incident

Sources

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