July 4, 2025, 8:01 a.m. ETArbella "Yari" Rodríguez Márquez, a legal permanent resident with leukemia, has been detained by ICE for nearly five months at the Eloy Detention Center.Rodríguez Márquez's partner, Sonia Almaraz, and LGBTQ+ advocates are demanding her release because of her deteriorating health and the facility's history of deaths.More than a dozen community organizers and LGBTQ+ advocates attended a news conference in Phoenix demanding the release of Arbella “Yari” Rodríguez Márquez, a legal permanent resident detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement for nearly five months at the Eloy Detention Center despite a diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.Rodríguez Márquez was detained on Feb. 10 while attempting to cross back into the United States via the vehicle crossing at a Nogales port of entry with her partner, Sonia Almaraz."Yari and I were on our way home, crossing the border," Almaraz told a crowd of reporters July 3 outside the headquarters of the LGBTQ+ migrant-rights organization, Trans Queer Pueblo. “They isolated me in a cage for four hours without telling me what was going on — me being a citizen."After being detained, Rodríguez Márquez was taken to Eloy's civil detention facility, where her residency was subsequently revoked by a federal immigration judge, according to Almaraz."She has been locked up ever since," she said. Almaraz said her partner’s health is deteriorating rapidly.“Yari suffers from chronic lymphocytic leukemia, and this past five months, she has lost 55 pounds,” Almaraz said. “Her body is beginning to collapse. She’s experiencing swelling, blotches, bruises, fatigue, and extreme dehydration due to the lack of medical care and proper treatment.”Despite this, Almaraz said Rodríguez Márquez was denied parole on June 24 by her deportation officer.“I am worried that if she is not released, Yari will be the next death in Eloy Detention Center,” Almaraz said.It was not immediately clear why Rodríguez Márquez was detained or why her parole was denied. Spokespeople for ICE did not respond on July 3 to a question on the matter.The Eloy Detention Center has a reputation as one of the deadliest civil detention facilities in the country, according to Detention Watch Network.The most recent death happened in January. ICE reported that a 45-year-old Ethiopian man died while in detention in Eloy. The Maricopa County Examiner's Office ruled the death a result of complications of human immunodeficiency virus, according to a report obtained by The Arizona Republic.At least 16 deaths have been reported of people in custody at the Eloy facility, including five suicides, since the civil detention center opened in 1994, according to the Detention Watch Network.Sonix Flores, media director for Trans Queer Pueblo, said Rodríguez Márquez’s experience in detention is not "isolated."“It’s something our LGBTQ community has experienced time and time again," Flores said. "We believe ICE must release Yari before these immigration cages take her life.”Miros Mejia, the political defense coordinator for Poder In Action, echoed the sentiments shared by other speakers and urged the Eloy Detention Facility to release Rodríguez Márquez before it was too late."Nationally, stats show that we have lost 11 individuals in detention centers this year," Meijia said. "Yari should not be the 12th person. She belongs with her loved ones."Trans Queer Pueblo also called on Phoenix Mayor Kate Gallego help advocate for Rodríguez Márquez."You say you're an advocate for LGBTQ rights. Today, we need your support to protect a lesbian woman who is being held without charge by ICE and Eloy Detention Center," Flores said before closing out the news conference. "We need you to intervene to save our sister's life."Rodríguez Márquez’s case comes amid renewed scrutiny of ICE detention practices after two recent deaths in federal custody.Last week, a 49-year-old Canadian citizen and lawful permanent resident of the U.S. who had been charged with drug trafficking died at an ICE detention facility in Florida. Days later, a 75-year-old Cuban man also died in ICE custody. Both deaths were being investigated by ICE, the agency said.When questioned by reporters about the recent deaths in detention on June 30, Border Czar Tom Homan told reporters he was "unaware.""People die in ICE custody. People die in jails and state prisons," Homan said before pivoting. "The question should be how many lives does ICE save because when they go into detention, we find many with diseases and stuff we deal with right away to prevent that."In a statement released before the news conference, Rodríguez Márquez said from the Eloy Detention Center, “I’m not giving up. That has never been one of my qualities.”Have any news tips or story ideas about the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona? Reach the reporter at rromeroruiz@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, @raphaeldelag.