Carlos Josué Marchena Marchena was 36 years old and had four children. A Costa Rican national, he worked as a driver and suffered from type 1 diabetes. He did not die in an accident, nor did he succumb to a sudden illness. According to his family, he died because, while in custody, he was denied the insulin he needed to survive. On September 18, he was found unconscious at the Winnfield Correctional Center in Louisiana. Staff attempted to resuscitate him and transported him by ambulance to a hospital, where his death was confirmed.
Four children—this is the phrase his sister, Franciny, repeats like a hammer blow whenever she speaks of him. Four children who were waiting for their father. A man who would call his partner, Ana León Castro, to tell her that his medication was not working. A father who, hours before his death—near midnight—dialed the usual number to say he was still ill.
His family reported that Carlos was not provided with the insulin, food, or water necessary to manage his diabetes. His sister, his partner, and Luis Herrera Andy—a Honduran man held in the adjacent cell—recounted that Carlos had raised concerns about the difficulty of accessing his medication, food, and water while being transferred between facilities in different states. According to these accounts, his health deteriorated after arriving at the Winnfield facility, where he spent less than a week before he died.
Insulin is not a luxury. For someone with type 1 diabetes, it is as essential as the air they breathe. Dr. Rajesh Garg, head of the diabetes unit at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, explained it with the clarity of someone who understands the human body: individuals with this clinical profile need to receive insulin, food, and water at regular intervals to keep their blood sugar levels under control. "If there isn't adequate food and water, it puts stress on their system," he warned. Carlos received neither. And his body simply collapsed.
Once at Winn, Carlos told his sister and his partner that he was experiencing chest pain and was not receiving enough food or water. Herrera, a fellow detainee, stated that insulin was administered to Carlos inconsistently. He recounted that a doctor gave Carlos pills for his chest pain, and that Carlos returned angry about the care he had received. The day before he was found unconscious, according to Herrera, Carlos was suffering from a headache, stomach pain, chills, and vomiting; he was pale, his skin had a purplish hue, and he was sweating profusely.
Hours before he died—near midnight—he called his partner to tell her that the pills were not working. That was the last time Ana heard his voice.
LaSalle Corrections, the company that manages the facility alongside the Winn Parish Sheriff’s Office, stated through its spokesperson, Scott Sutterfield, that the death is under review and that the company is committed to "the highest standards of care." The company did not respond to questions.
ICE also did not respond when asked about the denial of requests for bond and voluntary deportation to Costa Rica—requests that, according to his family, Carlos had submitted. A father of four, he had asked to return home.
He asked for bond. He asked for voluntary deportation. In essence, he asked for a chance to stay alive—and he was told no.
With this case, at least 58 ICE detainees have died since the current administration took office in January 2025. Carlos is the third detainee to die in less than six months at an ICE facility in Louisiana; two others have died at that complex since April. The Winn facility had already been the subject of official scrutiny. In June, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General released a report on an inspection that uncovered failures in medical care, food service, and the use of force, among other issues. The report existed. The warnings existed. Carlos, however, did not exist to those who were supposed to be looking after him.
According to ICE, he had entered the United States in February 2021 without legal status. He had prior convictions for misdemeanor offenses involving retail fraud and destruction of property. In January, he was arrested by the Ottawa County Police in Michigan for assault. In July, an immigration judge ordered his deportation.
None of those charges made him someone who deserved to die for lack of insulin. Nor did they make him someone undeserving of food, water, or medical care. None of those charges justify stripping someone of their right to live.
