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Salvadoran man dies in ICE custody at Folkston detention center
Luis Sandoval, 48, was found unresponsive at the Folkston facility early Friday and later pronounced dead. His death is the fifth reported ICE custody death in Georgia since President Donald Trump began his second term.
A 48-year-old Salvadoran man died in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custody early Friday at the D. Ray ICE Processing Center in Folkston, according to the agency.
ICE identified the man as Luis Sandoval and said staff found him with a ligature around his neck. Facility staff began emergency measures, and Charlton County paramedics continued resuscitation efforts. He was pronounced dead at 2:28 a.m., officials said. ICE described the death as an apparent suicide.
Sandoval’s death is the fifth reported death of an ICE detainee in Georgia since the start of President Donald Trump’s second administration. Two detainees died by suicide at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, and two others died during transfers, according to officials.
The Folkston facility has also been the site of a hunger strike by detainees protesting conditions and prolonged detention. The deaths have prompted calls from advocates for independent scrutiny and accountability. Azadeh Shahshahani, an attorney and director of Project South, called for an immediate independent investigation, saying the death was tragic.
ICE said it is committed to ensuring people in its custody are held in safe and humane conditions. The agency’s account did not provide further details about the circumstances leading up to Sandoval’s death.