Carlos Josué Marchena Marchena spent his final days telling loved ones he was struggling to manage his Type 1 diabetes in immigration detention. On September 18, the 36-year-old Costa Rican father of four was found unresponsive at the Winn Correctional Center in Louisiana. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
His sister, girlfriend and a man detained in the neighboring cell told The Associated Press that Marchena complained about missed insulin shots and meals while being transferred between facilities in multiple states. His family said his health deteriorated after he arrived at Winn less than a week before his death. He also reported chest pain, according to those who spoke with him.
ICE gave a different account of his care. “Marchena received proper medical care and was seen by medical professionals,” the agency said in a statement. His official cause of death remains pending, leaving the circumstances of his final days under examination.
Marchena’s death is the third involving an ICE detainee at Winn in less than six months. A recent Department of Homeland Security inspector general report found that the facility fell short of federal standards in several areas, including medical care. Inspectors identified gaps in treatment documentation and laboratory records that they warned could affect detainee safety. ICE agreed to recommendations for improvements.
According to the AP’s tracking, Marchena is at least the 58th person to die in ICE custody since January 2025. That figure gives the case national weight, while his family’s account raises a specific question: whether his diabetes treatment remained consistent as he moved through the detention system.
His sister said Marchena worked as a ride service driver and had asked to return to Costa Rica. Now his family is waiting for medical findings that may help explain why he died in custody.