Georgia’s U.S. senators are turning up the heat on federal immigration authorities after a grim spike in deaths at detention centers, particularly at the Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia. The call for answers comes amid mounting concerns over safety, medical care, and transparency for people held in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody.
On September 23, 2025, Senators Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock sent a sharply worded letter to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and ICE Acting Director Todd Lyons, demanding immediate explanations for 14 deaths in ICE custody so far this year. The senators, both representing Georgia, zeroed in on two recent fatalities involving Mexican nationals at Stewart, a facility with a troubling track record. According to the letter, "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’ intervention comes as the first half of 2025 marked the highest number of ICE custody deaths on record, with ten deaths reported nationwide, according to ICE’s own Detainee Death Reporting website. That figure, as reported by multiple sources, is the highest for the same period since 2018 and has set off alarm bells among advocates and lawmakers alike.
The recent deaths at Stewart Detention Center have become a flashpoint in the broader debate over conditions in immigration detention. Abelardo Avellaneda-Delgado, a 68-year-old man from Mexico, died on May 5, 2025, while being transported to the facility. Less than a month later, on June 7, 45-year-old Jesus Molina-Veya died by suicide inside Stewart. These tragedies have brought Stewart’s long-standing issues into sharp focus: since 2006, the facility has recorded 13 deaths, three of which were suicides.
But the senators’ concerns go beyond the raw numbers. Their letter details a litany of alleged problems at Stewart, including sexual abuse, medical neglect, overuse of solitary confinement, overcrowding, barriers to legal assistance, forced labor, substandard food, and a dysfunctional complaint system. They cite a 2017 report that found only one mental health provider was available for the center’s 1,800 detainees—a ratio that, by any measure, seems woefully inadequate.
Transparency, or the lack thereof, is another sore point. ICE failed to report both Georgia deaths within its own 48-hour deadline. Avellaneda-Delgado’s death occurred on May 5, but the agency didn’t announce it until three days later, on May 8. Molina-Veya’s death by suicide on June 7 wasn’t made public until June 11, a four-day delay. These lags have only fueled suspicions and frustrations among families, advocacy groups, and lawmakers. According to the senators, such delays undermine public trust and raise serious questions about accountability within ICE’s reporting systems.
In their letter, Ossoff and Warnock demanded a formal briefing and written responses by October 31, 2025. They want detailed information not just about the circumstances of the deaths, but also about what steps are being taken to prevent further fatalities. The senators specifically requested information about agency oversight of detention facilities and the contractors that run them. Their letter asks, in effect: Who’s watching the watchers? And what, if anything, is being done to fix well-documented problems?
Stewart Detention Center, operated by a private contractor, has long been the subject of controversy. Civil rights organizations and former detainees have repeatedly raised alarms about conditions inside. The senators’ letter echoes many of these concerns, suggesting that the problems are systemic rather than isolated. Overcrowding, lack of access to legal counsel, and reports of forced labor have all been cited as ongoing issues. Food quality and the effectiveness of the complaint process have also been criticized, painting a picture of a facility struggling to meet even basic standards of care.
The mental health crisis at Stewart is particularly troubling. According to the 2017 report referenced by the senators, having a single mental health provider for 1,800 detainees simply cannot meet the complex needs of a population that often includes asylum seekers, trauma survivors, and people with pre-existing conditions. The recent suicide of Molina-Veya, in particular, has drawn attention to the urgent need for better mental health support.
The senators’ letter is not just a request for information—it’s a call to action. By demanding both a briefing and written responses, Ossoff and Warnock are signaling that they expect real answers, not just bureaucratic platitudes. Their intervention reflects growing national concern about the human cost of immigration enforcement and the conditions faced by those awaiting deportation or the outcome of their immigration cases.
Meanwhile, the broader context is hard to ignore. The spike in deaths comes at a time when immigration policy remains one of the most contentious issues in American politics. The Trump administration’s approach to detention, oversight, and transparency has drawn intense scrutiny from both sides of the aisle. For some, the rising death toll is evidence of a system in crisis that needs urgent reform. For others, it’s a sign that existing oversight mechanisms are failing and that private contractors are not being held accountable for the welfare of detainees.
Advocates and watchdog groups have welcomed the senators’ intervention, but many remain skeptical about whether meaningful change will follow. Calls for independent oversight, improved medical and mental health care, and greater transparency are not new. What’s different now, perhaps, is the sheer scale of the problem and the growing willingness of elected officials to demand answers.
For families of the deceased and those still in detention, the stakes could hardly be higher. The senators’ letter may be just one step in a long process, but it shines a spotlight on issues that, for too long, have remained in the shadows.
As the October 31 deadline for a response approaches, all eyes will be on ICE and the Department of Homeland Security. Whether their answers will satisfy the senators—and the public—remains to be seen. But the message from Georgia’s senators is clear: the status quo is no longer acceptable, and the time for accountability is now.
