A 47-year-old Peruvian immigrant died while in custody of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Louisiana, after experiencing a medical emergency at the Richwood Correctional Center.
ICE identified the deceased as Julián Curo-Churata and noted that the preliminary cause of death remains undetermined. An autopsy will need to officially establish what caused the death.
According to the agency, Curo-Churata experienced medical issues on September 28. Approximately at 8:14 p.m., staff from the center transferred him to Ochsner LSU Health Monroe Medical Center in Monroe for advanced care.
Despite the medical efforts, an on-call doctor declared him dead at 4:01 a.m. on September 29.
ICE has not yet provided information on what led to the medical emergency nor revealed any medical history that could explain the deterioration of his health.
The agency asserts, however, that the Peruvian received medical attention during the time he was detained and was evaluated by healthcare professionals.
Univision specified that Curo-Churata had been in immigration custody for three months. He had been arrested on June 27 by the Baltimore Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) during a targeted operation and received a notice to appear before an immigration judge on the same day.
Two days later, he was transferred to the custody of ERO New Orleans and confined in the Richwood Correctional Center.
ICE indicated that Curo-Churata had entered the United States on an unknown date and place without undergoing immigration inspection.
Among the background information mentioned by the agency was a conviction for driving with an expired vehicle registration and a separate court ruling against him in favor of the Maryland Comptroller.
On September 18, just 11 days before his death, an immigration judge rejected his requests for immigration relief and voluntary departure. Curo-Churata reserved the right to appeal that decision.
After the passing, ERO New Orleans notified the Office of Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of Professional Responsibility of ICE. Also informed were his wife, his attorney, and the Consulate General of Peru.
The agency states that individuals in their custody receive medical, dental, and mental health evaluations within the first 12 hours of entering each center, a comprehensive health assessment within the first 14 days, and continuous access to emergency care.
However, the death of Curo-Churata occurs in a particularly critical year for the immigration detention system. Fiscal year 2026 ended with 37 people deceased in ICE custody, the highest number recorded by the agency, according to data compiled at the end of September.
Among the recent cases is that of Jesús Manuel Arenas Silva, a 45-year-old Venezuelan who died in July while being transferred between two detention centers in Georgia.
In April, Alejandro Cabrera Clemente, a 49-year-old Mexican citizen, died after being found unconscious in his cell at the Winn Correctional Center, also in Louisiana.
Several Cubans have also died while in immigration custody during 2026. In April, Aled Damien Carbonell-Betancourt, 27 years old, died at the Federal Detention Center in Miami in a case that was described by authorities at the time as a suspected suicide attempt.
Shortly thereafter, Denny Adán González, 33 years old, died at the Stewart Detention Center in Georgia. ICE initially reported a possible suicide, although later testimonies emerged that called this version into question, generating new complaints regarding the circumstances of his death.
Another case that remains under scrutiny is that of Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban who died in January at a detention center in El Paso.
His family filed a multimillion-dollar lawsuit after an autopsy classified the death as homicide due to asphyxiation caused by compression of the neck and torso.
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