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Jesús Manuel Arenas-Silva dies in ICE custody, 22nd this year

newsJul 15, 202637657

Jesús Manuel Arenas-Silva, a 45-year-old Venezuelan, was found unresponsive and later pronounced dead on Monday after being transferred between detention facilities in Georgia, making him the 22nd person to die in Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody this year. ICE said Arenas-Silva was arrested last Thursday, had been held at the Irwin county detention center, and was en route to the Folkston processing center when staff found him unresponsive; ICE cited suspected cardiac arrest. His sister and Georgia immigrants' rights groups said ICE did not provide him with necessary medications for a medical condition despite the family's pleas and that officials initially allowed him to take only one medication when arrested. ICE and the Department of Homeland Security reiterated that Arenas-Silva received medical care and was seen by medical professionals while in custody. Arenas-Silva entered the United States in 2021, was ordered removed to Venezuela by an Atlanta immigration judge in April, and was arrested last week during a targeted enforcement action in Dallas, Georgia. His death comes amid renewed scrutiny of DHS and ICE after three other people died during recent enforcement operations, including two people shot by ICE officials and one person killed after being struck by a truck while fleeing officers.

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