‘Release Yari’: Community calls for immediate release of woman with cancer in ICE custody

Organizers at Trans Queer Pueblo (TQ Pueblo), a community of over 500 LGBTQ+ migrants, indigenous and Afro-Latinx people in Phoenix, convened at an emergency presser Thursday morning, calling for the immediate release of one of their members, Arbella Rodriguez Marquez — also known as Yari — who was detained by Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in February and is currently being held at the Eloy Detention Center, the largest ICE prison in Arizona.

Marquez, who has been living legally in the U.S. for over two years and suffers from chronic lymphoma leukemia, was detained in February while crossing the Arizona border near Nogales with her partner, Sonia Almaraz. While Almaraz was confined to a cell for four hours and later released, Marquez was taken to Eloy and, after being denied parole, stripped of her residency by an immigration judge.

Now awaiting a hearing for asylum in coming weeks, Marquez’s chronic condition and lack of proper medical care in Eloy has made a dire situation even more urgent for the member of the local queer community already at risk inside what is considered of one of the deadliest detention centers in the country, according to Detention Watch Center. 

“We are here to shed light on the story of Arbella Rodriguez Marquez, a lesbian legal resident of the United States, known by her nickname, Yari, who was kidnapped by ICE,” Sonix Flores, a media coordinator and organizer with TQ Pueblo, announced at the presser held outside the organization’s casita. “What is happening to Yari is not an isolated case. It’s something our LGBTQ community has experienced time and time again. And we believe ICE must release Yari before these immigration cages take her life.” 

Since taking office in January, the Trump administration has been targeting migrants, particularly those of color, throughout the nation in a mass deportation effort. ICE and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have been conducting random raids throughout communities, targeting businesses, homes, schools and even immigration court hearings throughout the country and now the Valley. 

With a new Congressional-approved budget earmarking immigration and border enforcement to the tune of almost $170 billion — a bill that is expected to be signed on July 4 by President Donald Trump — those numbers are expected to rise.

Following the unprecedented number of detainments by unidentified, masked federal agents, city-wide protests have erupted throughout the U.S. in defiance against this administration’s predatory policies that are separating families and placing chronically-ill people at risk without access to the care they need.

“Yari suffers from chronic lymphocytic leukemia. In these past five months, she has lost 55 pounds. Her hands are swollen and her health worsens every day inside that violent place, and yet, on June 24th, her deportation officer denied her parole,” Almaraz, Marquez’s partner, said while referencing the deaths that have already occurred inside the Eloy Detention Center, as she fears Yari may be next. “I want to emphasize that Arbella’s already suffering the consequences of her illness. Her body is beginning to collapse. She’s experiencing (trouble) swallowing, blotches, bruises, fatigue and extreme exhaustion due to the lack of medical care and proper treatment. 

“Director of Operations of ICE, John Cantu, I request and demand the freedom of Arbella Rodriguez Marquez,” she added.

Alongside TQ Pueblo, local organizations Semillas Arizona, Mass Liberation Arizona and Poder in Action (Poder) expressed their support.

“In this administration thus far, we have seen the increase of criminalization, incarceration of our people, no matter their status. Detention centers are dangerous for everyone, especially for LGBTQ individuals, due to the harassment they experience from guards, officers and detainees,” Miros Mejia, a coordinator with Poder, said. “Yari is fighting for her life, and we know she won't give up until she is released, and neither will her community.” 

According to ICE data, at least 12 people have died — two of which occurred in June and have not been added to the ICE database — while being held at a detention center since October 2024. Nine of those deaths occurred since Trump returned to the White House.

“The unreported deaths by U.S. media of people in U.S. custody begs the question, how many other Indigenous peoples, queer relatives, migrant relatives, lives are at risk due to being denied health care access?” community member and social worker Lucero Gonzalez said. “People's lives are in jeopardy in ICE custody. We are here because we want to prevent any more harm coming to our queer relative, Yari, as her health is declining due to lack of medical treatment and that she be returned to her community and family immediately.”

Rampant abuse and negligence are well-known and documented issues that have plagued ICE and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) detention centers for decades. In a recent report released by Immigration Equality, the National Immigration Justice Center and Human Rights First, findings concluded that LGBTQ+ and HIV-positive individuals faced higher rates of discrimination, negligence and physical and sexual violence while in detention centers.

“It's important to remember that the borders, these migrant prisons, they never should exist in the first place. And I feel like we're always put in a position where we have to justify why we should exist. And the truth is, Yari should exist — period. Especially since Latino people, Hispanic people, were actually indigenous to these lands, opposed to the white people that built these borders, who are the real foreigners,” Flores said.

TQ Pueblo announced plans for an anti-celebratory event held in defiance to the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, as well as plans to set-up a petition to garner more attention to Yari’s case, not only from concerned citizens and community members looking for ways to support Yari’s cause, but to also prompt a response from Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego, who publicly stated Phoenix police would not collaborate with Trump and his federally-imposed policies, a statement that has already been called into question at a recent Phoenix City Council meeting. 

“I visit her every weekend, and each time she tells me ‘I’m not giving up.’ Yari is so much more than the way she’s treated by this government,” Almaraz said. “She and I have always served our community. I dream of the moment when Yari finally walks free and we can return to the life we have built. I won’t stop fighting until she comes home.”

Analisa Valdez (she/her) is a freelance journalist based in Phoenix. Her reporting includes community & culture, social justice, arts, business, and politics.