(WINNFIELD, La.) — A Georgian immigrant who officials said died last week in Immigrant and Customs Enforcement custody is the 50th person to die in ICE detention during the second Trump administration.
Mamuka Artmeladze, 43, died on June 4 at the Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana, according to an agency notification sent to lawmakers.
In the notification, ICE officials said that Artmeladze was found unresponsive and was transported to a local medical center.
“Despite lifesaving efforts, at approximately 11:22 p.m., an onsite physician at Winn Parish Medical Center pronounced Artmeladze deceased,” ICE said. “His official cause of death is currently pending an autopsy.”
ICE said that Artmeladze was taken into custody in February in New Orleans during an operation “targeting commercial vehicle drivers who posed public safety risks.”
“ICE took him into custody after officials determined he had no lawful status to remain in the United States,” the agency said.
The increase in ICE deaths comes amid scrutiny from lawmakers and immigrant advocates about the conditions at detention centers during the Trump administration’s ongoing immigration crackdown.
According to an ABC News analysis of Immigration and Customs Enforcement data and the number of detainee deaths provided to Congress from ICE, the first 14 months of the second Trump administration represent the most deadly period for the federal detention system in recent years — with the exception of 2020, when the coronavirus pandemic contributed to detention deaths.
Last week, ICE ended a policy that required the agency to report the deaths of former detainees that occurred within 30 days of their release from federal custody.
The policy, issued during the Biden administration, directed the agency to review and report all detainee fatalities, including those that occurred up to a month following release.
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