‘Kidnapped by ICE’: Green card holder with cancer denied specialist care for months as advocates fear she’ll be ‘the next death’ at detention center

Arbella “Yari” Rodríguez Márquez, a 39-year-old Phoenix woman with chronic lymphocytic leukemia, has been held at the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona since February 2025. Despite having lived in the United States for 25 years and holding lawful permanent resident status for two years, her green card was revoked by a federal immigration judge after her detention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

According to Newsweek, Márquez was detained on February 10, 2025, while returning from Mexico through the Nogales border crossing with her partner, Sonia Almaraz, who is a U.S. citizen. According to Almaraz, they were asked to give a ride to someone Márquez believed was a U.S. citizen with proper documentation. However, the individual was using fraudulent identification, leading to both women being separated and detained by Border Patrol agents.

Community advocates from Trans Queer Pueblo, an LGBTQ+ organization in Phoenix, describe Márquez’s situation as being “kidnapped by ICE.” They have launched a petition demanding her immediate release, warning that she could become the next person to die at the Eloy facility if she doesn’t receive proper medical care. Almaraz fears that without adequate treatment, Márquez “will be the next death in Eloy Detention Center.”

Health conditions worsen behind bars with inadequate care

Since her detention, Márquez’s health has deteriorated significantly. She has lost approximately 55 pounds and has been coughing up blood, yet has not been able to see an oncologist or specialist for her cancer treatment. The detention center has only provided basic pain relievers like Tylenol and stomach ulcer medication for her serious medical condition.

Rep. Yassamin Ansari, a Democrat from Arizona, visited Márquez at the facility and described her condition as alarming. “She spoke to me in tears, begging to see an oncologist and telling me that the detention center will merely give her Tylenol and stomach ulcer medicine for cancer,” Ansari said during a press conference at the U.S. Capitol. The congresswoman has written to Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons requesting immediate medical intervention and justification for Márquez’s continued detention.

Federal authorities have faced increasing criticism over medical care in immigration detention facilities across the country. The Eloy Detention Center, operated by private prison company CoreCivic, has reported at least 16 deaths since 1994, including five suicides. ICE’s Health Service Corps is responsible for overseeing medical care in detention facilities, but advocates argue that the system consistently fails to meet the needs of people with serious health conditions.

Márquez’s case highlights broader concerns about medical neglect in immigration detention during the Trump administration’s expanded enforcement efforts. Her diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a cancer affecting white blood cells and bone marrow, requires specialized oncological care that she has been unable to access for months while in ICE custody.

The American Civil Liberties Union has called for transparency and accountability in the immigration detention system, with senior policy counsel Haddy Gassama stating that “detaining sick and vulnerable people like Yari, who is battling cancer at Arizona’s Eloy facility, where care is lacking and her life is at stake is inhumane and must stop.” Despite her serious medical condition and lack of criminal history, Márquez has been denied parole and remains in detention while her immigration case proceeds through the courts.