Venezuelan man dies in ICE custody after medication denied during Georgia detention transfer
Jul 14, 2026·Location: Ocilla, GA
Country of origin: Venezuela

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
Sources
- Venezuelan man becomes 22nd person to die in ICE custody this year
The Guardian·Jul 15, 2026·archived copy
- ICE Reports 22nd Detention Death of 2026: Jesus Manuel Arenas-Silva, 45, Dies During a Transfer in Georgia
austinkocher.substack.com·Jul 15, 2026·archived copy
- Venezuelan Detainee Dies in ICE Transport, 22nd Custody Death This Year
- Immigrant dies in ICE custody, four days after his arrest in Georgia
nbcdfw.com·Jul 16, 2026·archived copy
- Another immigrant detainee dies in ICE custody in Georgia
- ICE, the relentless force behind Trump’s deportation drive
english.elpais.com·Jul 20, 2026·archived copy
- MSN
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