Deported in a vegetative state: a Costa Rican family’s ICE ordeal

A Guardian report follows Randall Gamboa Esquivel, a Costa Rican man who re-entered the United States, was detained by ICE, and deported back to Costa Rica in a vegetative state, where he died weeks later. His family alleges severe neglect and deterioration in detention, describing malnutrition, ulcers, and a strong odor upon arrival; medical records show multiple conditions culminating in a catatonic state. DHS cites medical care in custody, while a Costa Rican forensic investigation is underway. The case unfolds amid record ICE detainee numbers and intensified deportations under a hard-line immigration stance, with broader context of 2025 being ICE’s deadliest year in two decades and at least 32 detainee deaths that year.