Man held at Stewart Detention Center dies in ICE custody. What we know
A Mexican resident detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has died at a hospital near Columbus, ICE announced Wednesday.
Jesus Molina-Veya, 45, died the evening of June 7 at Phoebe Sumter Hospital in Americus. He was found earlier that day unconscious in his cell at Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, ICE said. An employee of the agency discovered him after realizing other detainees were gathered around Molina-Veya’s door.
“The health services staff attempted to revive him and provide CPR until the paramedics arrived to transport him to the hospital,” ICE said in a news release.
Lindsay Williams, a spokesperson for ICE, told the Ledger-Enquirer that Molina-Veya’s death was an apparent suicide.
Molina-Veya was repeatedly detained by U.S. officials over the past 25 years, according to ICE. ICE said Molina-Veya was arrested and convicted on several occasions while in the U.S., including for offenses of child molestation, hit-and-run and possession of controlled substances.
He most recently was arrested Feb. 28 on charges of probation violation and other offenses, and he was convicted April 3, ICE said.
Several civil rights groups, including the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, Project South, El Refugio and the Detention Watch Network, raised alarm about in-custody deaths in a news release following the incident.
“Our hearts are with the people detained at SDC, for whom another death is a stark reminder of the cruelty of a system that fails to provide basic care,” said Amilcar Valencia, executive director of El Refugio, an organization focused on supporting immigrants at Stewart Detention Center and their families. “We stand united in our refusal to accept any more senseless deaths in detention and our call to shut down Stewart.”
Adelina Nicholls, executive director at the Georgia Latino Alliance for Human Rights, blamed President Donald Trump’s administration for in-custody deaths as the administration ramps up detention and deportation efforts among immigrants.
“Immigrant communities in Georgia and nationwide are being traumatized every single day,” Nicholls said in a news release.
In a news release about Molina-Veya’s death, ICE said it “remains committed to ensuring that all those in its custody reside in safe, secure, and humane environments.
“Comprehensive medical care is provided from the moment individuals arrive and throughout the entirety of their stay,” ICE said. “All people in ICE custody receive medical, dental and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility, a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arrival at a facility, access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. At no time during detention is a detained illegal alien denied emergent care.”
This is the second time ICE has reported a detainee has died in Georgia this year. Officials said Abelardo Avelleneda-Delgado, a 68-year-old resident of Mexico, died in May. Avelleneda-Delgado was being transported from the Lowndes County Jail to Stewart Detention Center when he became unresponsive, ICE said. He was pronounced dead by the Webster County Coroner’s Office.