The family of Randall Alberto Gamboa Esquivel, a Costa Rican man who died after being deported from the United States in a vegetative state, has accused US immigration authorities of negligence and inhumane treatment. Gamboa, 52, was arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Texas in February after illegally re-entering the US in December 2024, according to a statement from Assistant Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin.
Gamboa's sister, Greidy Mata, told Spanish-language news outlet El País that he called daily from detention until June, when he suddenly stopped. She said staff at the detention centre eventually told the family he had a health issue but provided no further details. McLaughlin's statement said medical professionals diagnosed Gamboa with unspecified psychosis and hospitalised him at Valley Baptist Hospital for mental health and medical care.
The family struggled to locate him until August, after being scammed by two lawyers and then finding him with a third. By then, Gamboa was bedridden and in a vegetative state. He was flown to Costa Rica on 3 September via an air ambulance paid for by ICE, suffering from encephalopathy, rhabdomyolysis, and an inability to eat. He died after being transferred to a hospital in his hometown of Pérez Zeledón.
Gamboa's partner, Adriana Ureña, described his medical treatment in the US as 'terrible' in a video aired by Univision. Former Costa Rican President Óscar Arias, a Nobel peace prize winner, condemned the 'complicit silence' of both governments and demanded answers. Arias, whose US visa was revoked by the Trump administration in April, wrote on X that Gamboa entered the US illegally but in perfect physical condition.
McLaughlin defended ICE's actions, stating that the medical treatment Gamboa received was better than what many immigrants 'have received in their entire lives'. She emphasised that illegally re-entering the US is a felony and noted Gamboa had a prior conviction. The Trump administration has prioritised deportations, with data showing that immigrants without criminal records form the largest group in ICE detention.
