Sens. Ossoff, Reverend Warnock Press Trump Administration Over Deaths in ICE Custody

Washington D.C.- U.S. Senators Reverend Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff are urging the Trump Administration to address deaths in ICE custody in Georgia.

In a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Warnock cited the delayed reporting of two deaths in ICE custody in Georgia and requested information on agency oversight of detention facilities and contractors.

"We write with serious alarm regarding the rise in the number of deaths in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody nationwide. We are especially concerned by the deaths of two individuals in ICE custody in Georgia this year. We request that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE immediately provide information about these individuals' deaths and about the Trump administration's plan to prevent further fatalities," the Senators wrote.

According to ICE's Detainee Death Reporting website, ten people died in ICE custody in the first half of 2025, the highest total for the same period since 2018.

In Georgia, according to reporting, Abelardo Avellaneda-Delgado, 68, died on May 5 during transport from the Lowndes County Jail to Stewart Detention Center by TransCor, a CoreCivic subsidiary contracted by ICE. His family has said he had no prior health conditions.

On June 7, according to reporting, Jesus Molina-Veya, 45, died at Stewart Detention Center after being found unconscious in his cell. ICE reports indicate a ligature was found around his neck. His death is the thirteenth at Stewart since 2006.

"ICE has reported fourteen deaths in custody since January 2025. There have been additional public reports of a fifteenth detainee death, which ICE has not yet confirmed. Ten of these deaths occurred between January and June-the highest number of deaths in the first six months of any year listed in ICE's public records. DHS must address safety and conditions within detention facilities in Georgia and across the country to prevent more deaths in its custody," the Senators continued.

Sen. Ossoff continues working to strengthen congressional oversight and investigate abuses in U.S. detention centers, prisons, and jails.

Last month, Sen. Ossoff's new investigation uncovered hundreds of credible reports of abuse in immigration detention in Georgia and across the country, including report of abuse of pregnant women and children.

In 2022, Sen. Ossoff led an 18-month bipartisan investigation into medical mistreatment of women in U.S. detention, which uncovered that female detainees at the Irwin County Detention Center in Georgia were subjected to "invasive, and often unnecessary gynecological procedures."

In 2024, Sen. Ossoff launched an inquiry with U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) into delays deploying licensed child welfare professionals to assist children who are temporarily in U.S. Southern Border facilities.

Also in 2022, Sens. Ossoff and Rev. Warnock pressed the Biden Administration for answers about allegations of sexual assault against women at the ICE Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia.

Click here to read Sens. Ossoff and Warnock's inquiry to DHS.

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