Mamuka Artmeladze, a 43-year-old citizen of Georgia, died on June 4 at a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility. Media outlets report that he became the 50th person to die in immigration custody since the start of Donald Trump’s second presidential term.
Artmeladze was being held at the Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana. ICE personnel found the Georgian citizen unresponsive and transported him to a local medical center.
“Despite life-saving efforts, a physician at the Winn Parish Medical Center pronounced Artmeladze deceased at approximately 11:22 p.m. An official cause of death will be determined following an autopsy,” ICE reported.
The Georgian citizen was detained in February 2026 in the New Orleans area during an operation targeting commercial vehicle drivers who posed a threat to public safety.
He did not possess documents authorizing him to be in the United States.
ICE, for its part, stated that it is committed to ensuring safe and humane conditions of confinement.
“All detainees receive initial medical, dental, and mental health screening within 12 hours of arrival at each detention facility, a full health assessment within 14 days, and have access to 24-hour emergency care. The agency asserts that no detainee is denied emergency medical care,” the ICE statement reads.
