A cancer patient detained by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Arizona has become the focus of a growing national outcry, with lawmakers, civil rights advocates, and medical experts demanding her immediate release. The case highlights ongoing concerns about conditions inside America’s immigration detention system and the Trump administration’s aggressive enforcement policies.
Who is Arbella “Yari” Rodríguez Márquez?
Arbella “Yari” Rodríguez Márquez, 47, has lived in the United States for more than 20 years. She previously held lawful permanent resident status, but an immigration judge revoked her green card after her detention earlier this year.
On February 10, 2025, Márquez was stopped by ICE agents after crossing back into Arizona through Nogales following a trip to Mexico. She has been held at the Eloy Detention Center, a privately operated facility long criticized for inadequate health care and poor conditions.
Health crisis inside detention
Márquez is battling chronic lymphocytic leukemia, a slow-progressing but serious form of blood cancer. Since her detention, advocates say her health has sharply deteriorated:
- She has lost nearly 55 pounds in six months.
- She is reportedly coughing up blood.
- She has not been given access to a cancer specialist.
- She is being treated with only Tylenol and ulcer medication.
Her partner, Sonia Almaraz, told The Arizona Republic that ICE “kidnapped” Márquez and that officials are knowingly risking her life. “They isolated me in a cage for four hours without telling me what was going on—me being a citizen,” Almaraz said. “I fear she could be the next death in Eloy Detention Center.”
Since the facility opened in 1994, at least 16 detainees have died there, including five suicides.
Political response and calls for release
Arizona Representative Yassamin Ansari, a Democrat serving on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, has intervened in Márquez’s case. After visiting her in detention, Ansari described their meeting as heartbreaking:
“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. Today, I’m using my voice to demand immediate medical action for Yari. She cannot wait one more day to receive the fair and humane treatment she deserves.”
Ansari has written to Acting ICE Director Todd Lyons, demanding answers on Márquez’s medical care, the reasons for her continued detention, and an update within seven days.
Civil rights groups including the ACLU have echoed those demands. Haddy Gassama, the ACLU’s senior policy counsel, said the case reflects systemic abuse:
“The federal government is pouring billions into expanding a cruel and unaccountable detention system… 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.”
ICE’s defense and policy backdrop
ICE and the Department of Homeland Security maintain that lawful permanent residency is a “privilege, not a right,” and it can be revoked if laws are violated. Officials have not publicly disclosed the circumstances behind the judge’s decision to strip Márquez of her green card.
The detention comes amid President Donald Trump’s renewed crackdown on immigration. His administration has pledged to remove millions of undocumented migrants, a campaign that critics say has resulted in mass detentions, expanded use of private prison contractors, and worsening humanitarian conditions.
What’s next for Márquez?
Márquez’s legal and medical future remains uncertain. Her deportation officer reportedly denied a release request in June despite the risk to her health. Advocates have since launched a petition demanding her freedom, warning that continued detention could prove fatal.
For now, Márquez remains inside Eloy, her supporters rallying outside for her release, and her story adding to the mounting pressure on ICE and the Biden-era detention system reshaped by Trump’s policies.
TL;DR
Arbella “Yari” Rodríguez Márquez, a cancer patient who lived in the US for more than two decades, is being held by ICE at Eloy Detention Center in Arizona. Advocates say she is not receiving proper cancer care, has lost 55 pounds, and could die in custody. Lawmakers, including Rep. Yassamin Ansari, are demanding her immediate release. ICE defends her detention, saying green cards are revocable. The case underscores growing criticism of immigration detention under Trump’s enforcement push.
