An immigration detention center in Louisiana has recorded another detainee death, marking the second fatality at the facility in under two months amid ongoing concerns about conditions and medical care.
Mamuka Artmeladze, 43, from Georgia, was discovered unresponsive on June 4 at the Winn Correctional Center located in Winnfield, Louisiana, according to a Sunday announcement from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Officials said facility personnel immediately started life-saving efforts before paramedics transported him to a nearby hospital, where medical staff declared him deceased within an hour of arrival.
ICE has not released further details about the circumstances leading to his death, stating that autopsy results will determine the cause. Artmeladze had spent almost four months at the detention center, which operates under management by the Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office alongside ICE contractor LaSalle Corrections.
The detention center houses over 1,500 male detainees, with Artmeladze among the majority who lacked criminal backgrounds. Immigration officials said he crossed into the United States illegally at an undetermined time, and after Border Patrol agents encountered him in September 2022, he was permitted to stay temporarily under ICE monitoring. Authorities apprehended him in Alabama this past February when officials decided he no longer qualified to remain in the country legally.
This death brings the total number of detainees who have perished in ICE custody to 19 since the start of the year, with two occurring at Winn since April 11. Records obtained by The Associated Press reveal that 49-year-old Alejandro Cabrera Clemente was discovered unresponsive during a routine security inspection on that date, with staff attempting revival efforts before his transport to the same medical facility where Artmeladze later died.
Medical examiners determined that Cabrera, originally from Mexico but recently residing in Tennessee, succumbed to natural causes related to heart disease. Documentation shows he awakened approximately 2½ hours before being found unresponsive, experiencing coughing and breathing difficulties, though he indicated he felt fine and returned to sleep.
A separate ICE investigation into Cabrera’s death noted that fellow detainees alerted nursing personnel to his condition, finding him “with left-sided facial droop” and skin discoloration indicating oxygen deprivation. Medical records show Cabrera received ongoing treatment for elevated blood pressure and additional health issues throughout his detention period.
These fatalities occur as federal oversight agencies intensify examination of whether ICE detention centers are providing inadequate medical attention to detainees and maintaining substandard living environments, allegations that ICE disputes.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General released findings last week from a surprise inspection at Winn, documenting violations across multiple areas including environmental health and safety, food service operations, use-of-force protocols, and medical care standards.
Inspectors documented water seepage through kitchen ventilation systems, ceiling damage with exposed insulation materials in the intake facility, and food products stored at temperatures exceeding safety requirements in freezer units.
Healthcare personnel at Winn failed to maintain current treatment documentation and laboratory test records, creating conditions that could “negatively impact detainee health care and safety,” according to the inspection findings.
The review also identified improper use-of-force incidents, including one officer who applied a prohibited chokehold on a detainee and another officer who punctured a detainee’s thumb with a writing instrument after the individual refused to move his hand from a doorway.
According to the report, ICE accepted nine recommendations for facility improvements at Winn and has already put several corrective measures into practice.
