Salvadoran Man Dies Under ICE Custody at Facility Facing Hunger Strike

46-year-old Luis Sandoval died while under Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody at the GEO Group-ran Folkston D. Ray ICE Processing Center in Folkston, Georgia, according to an ICE press release.

Staff found Sandoval with a ligature around his neck Friday morning at 1:46 a.m.

ICE alleges that staff immediately began life-saving measures before the Charlton County Emergency Medical Services (CCEMS) arrived on scene to provide additional lifesaving measures. Sandoval was pronounced deceased less than an hour later, at approximately 2:28 a.m.

Sandoval was at the detention center for 15 days before his death. He was taken by ICE Newark on October 2, given a Notice to Appear (NTA) before an immigration judge, and transferred to Folkston on October 8. In its press release, ICE alleges that Sandoval had prior convictions for aggravated assault and other crimes.

According to the Guardian, the local sheriff’s office has requested the Georgia bureau of investigation (GBI) to conduct an “in-custody death investigation” at the D. Ray facility, which is adjacent to the Folkston ICE processing center, forming a large detention complex.

Sandoval’s death comes as people detained inside the ICE processing center are under a mass hunger strike, according to the Current GA. Approximately 500 people are on strike as of October 8, and have allegedly faced retaliation. 

It is not currently known whether Sandoval had participated in the hunger strike.

Some of the hunger strikers released a letter requesting that they be released while they continue pursuing their asylum and immigration cases. Early in the letter it reads:

“We come from different countries, races, believes, and backgrounds, but we share one thing in common: we came to the United States seeking protection and have been detained since then.”

Sandoval’s death is at least the 30th death under ICE custody in 2026 that we know of, according to the National Immigration Project.