Randall Alberto Gamboa Esquivel was a 52-year-old Costa Rican national whose health rapidly deteriorated without explanation while in ICE custody, later resulting in his death.
Details of Randall Alberto Gamboa Esquivel’s ICE Detainment and Subsequent Death
Gamboa crossed the US-Mexico border in December 2024 and was detained by immigration authorities in February 2025. He had previously lived undocumented in the United States from 2002-2013 and hoped to return to work and save enough money to buy a home.
Randall was held at two different detention facilities in Texas. During his detainment, he spoke daily to relatives through video calls and showed no sign of illness. However, in mid-June 2025 all contact between Randall and his family suddenly ceased.
Gamboa’s family went weeks without knowing where Randall was or what happened to him. They did not know it at the time, but on June 23rd he was transferred from the Port Isabel detention facility to Valley Baptist Medical Center.
Another detainee who was housed at ICE’s Webb County Detention Center with Gamboa told The Guardian that the last thing he heard about Randall was that “he had been taken to the hospital due to an infection.”
Medical records issued by Ice Health Services Corps (IHSC) stated that Gamboa was hospitalized with an “altered mental status.” They also reported that he had been taking antipsychotic and antidepressant medications. His family later denied that he had any history of mental illness.
Hospital medical records show that on June 30th Gamboa was “seen resting comfortably, quietly in bed and in no acute distress.” Immigration officers stayed at his bedside.
A psychiatric evaluation recorded that “Gamboa answered in one, two word brief responses and was more likely to engage in conversation when spoken to in Spanish.” The notes stated that he denied being suicidal, homicidal, or suffering from hallucinations.
By July 7th Gamboa’s medical record showed that he’d been diagnosed with at least 10 conditions, including sepsis, rhabdomyolysis, protein malnutrition, and toxic encephalopathy. On August 2nd a doctor noted “the patient appears to be in a hospital catatonic state. He doesn’t move or respond. He does blink at times…there is immobility and mutism present. The patient appears exhibiting the decerebrate posturing.”
Meanwhile, in an effort to find him, Randall’s family contacted the Costa Rican consulate in Houston, Texas. An unnamed consulate staffer told the family that ICE reported “Gamboa didn’t want to speak with his family.”
The family later recruited lawyer Cathy Potter, who eventually discovered Randall’s location. She visited him at the hospital on August 9th and reported, “me and my assistant, who spoke Spanish, tried to ask some questions, but he was incommunicative.”
On August 26th, an immigration court judge ordered Gamboa’s deportation to Costa Rica. Ms. Potter reported, “we went on with the removal proceedings and ICE took responsibility for paying for the air ambulance.”
Randall was transferred to Costa Rica on September 3rd. He was moved to a hospital in his home town of Pérez Zeledón, where he later died on October 26th.
Sources:
The Latin Times, “Family Says Medical Neglect Led to Death of Costa Rican Man Deported by ICE in Vegetative State“
The Guardian, “Costa Rican Man Dies After Health Decline in U.S. Immigration Custody“
The Guardian, “Family recounts horror after Costa Rican man deported in vegetative state“
The Guardian, “Family seeks answers after ICE deported man to Costa Rica in vegetative state“
The Tico Times, “Costa Rican Man Dies After Health Decline in U.S. Immigration Custody“