Lawmakers, family call for release of woman who they say has cancer and lost 70 lbs in ICE custody

Lawmakers and family of a woman being held at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in Eloy are demanding she receive medical attention, claiming she’s lost 70 pounds and has been mistreated. 

Arbella Rodriguez Marquez, who is called Yari by her friends and family, was arrested by U.S. Customs and Border Protection earlier this year and has been at the Eloy Detention Facility for the past 10 months. 

Yari’s family says that she has lymphocytic leukemia and has been denied medical care while inside, losing 70 pounds during her detention. Her partner Sonia Almaraz, a U.S. citizen, said they were traveling back from a trip to Mexico when they were detained and Yari was taken into custody. 

“I don’t think it is fair that ICE is taking advantage of her health. To me the way I see it, ICE is killing her. ICE is killing Yari,” Almaraz told the Mirror. 

But ICE has a different story. 

An ICE spokesperson said that Yari has been seen by  medical professionals, including an oncologist, 13 times at the facility and was arrested for “attempting to smuggle an illegal alien with fraudulent identification in her vehicle” through the Nogales Port of Entry. They also said she did not tell them she had any medical conditions. 

“This is just a disgusting attempt to lie to the public and contributes to the more than 1,150% increase in violent attacks against ICE officers including terrorist attacks, being shot at, cars being used as weapons, and bounties placed on their heads,” ICE said in a statement to the Mirror. “ICE provides comprehensive medical care from the moment an alien enters ICE custody. This includes medical, dental, and mental health intake screening within 12 hours of arriving at each detention facility; a full health assessment within 14 days of entering ICE custody or arriving at an ICE facility; and access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care.”

Almaraz called ICE’s response a “big lie” and said the agency seems to be acting punitively whenever the case gains media attention. Shortly after Almaraz and others held a rally on Dec. 3 about Yari’s detention, she was moved to a different building where Almaraz said conditions are worse. 

“They started denying personal care items for her,” Almaraz said. 

When it comes to the smuggling accusations, Almaraz said that she and Yari explained  to investigators that the person Yari was accused of smuggling had lied to them. 

“She was not trying to smuggle anybody, she was a victim from somebody who was lying,” Almaraz said. “They are trying to accuse her of something she didn’t do.” 

The two were on their way back from a trip from Mexico when they were stopped at the Nogales Port of Entry and detained. 

Now Almaraz is seeking help from lawmakers and the public to bring attention to the case, as she said she is concerned about Yari’s deteriorating health and wants her to be treated at a hospital. 

“They are not providing her with the medical care she requires, the medical care she needs,” Almaraz said, adding that she is fine with ICE continuing to pursue their case against Yari, saying they could put an ankle monitor on her while she gets treatment at a nearby hospital.“It is really hard, I can tell you it is very devastating to see her changing every week. It is hard seeing her going down. Every week it is different. Every week it is worse and worse.”

Lawmakers have been attempting to conduct oversight and work on Yari’s behalf but have been met with resistance from ICE officials. 

An aide for U.S. Congresswoman Yassamin Ansari told the Mirror that earlier this week Ansari’s office requested a group meeting between her staff and detention center staff for Friday of this week but were denied and told they were required to give a seven day notice. 

However, that rule  recently changed after lawmakers won a lawsuit against the Trump administration disallowing ICE from forcing lawmakers to give prior notice before visiting detention facilities, and allowing them to do unannounced visits. 

The aide told the Mirror that a member of Ansari’s  staff had a meeting with Yari Friday. 

Ansari is not the only member of Congress from Arizona who is concerned about Yari’s situation. 

“The Trump Administration promised to focus immigration enforcement on real threats to the community, but instead has prioritized meeting quotas through racial profiling, separating families, and ignoring due process,” Taylor Tasler, press secretary for U.S. Sen. Ruben Gallego said in a statement to the Mirror. “This is not what Arizonans voted for, and Senator Gallego will continue to hold the administration accountable. That includes conducting congressional visits to ensure ICE is treating detainees humanely and speaking directly with detainees, as he has done with Yari.”

Gallego, Ansari and Sen. Mark Kelly have all visited the facility in Eloy which has been the site of a number of deaths and suicides. 

“Senator Kelly has visited Arizonans detained at the ICE facility in Eloy and pushed ICE to make sure anyone in detention has access to the care and medical treatment they need,” a spokesperson for Kelly told the Mirror. 

This year, deaths in ICE custody have risen to the highest numbers in decades, with four of those deaths in Arizona. 

“I see so many negative things in the media and I just want people to understand that no matter what, we are all humans and we all deserve to have health care,” Almaraz said. “Nobody has the right to be denied healthcare. They do not have the right to not give her the chance.”