Unanswered Questions: A Man's Mysterious Decline in Detention

A man's family is left with more questions than answers after he was deported from the US in a vegetative state and passed away soon after. Randall Gamboa Esquivel, a Costa Rican, was in good health when he left his home country. He entered the US in December 2024 but was detained for re-entering without proper documents. He had lived in the US undocumented before, from 2002 to 2013. Gamboa was first held in a detention center in Laredo, Texas, and later moved to another facility in Los Fresnos. Nearly 10 months later, in September 2025, he was deported back to Costa Rica on an air ambulance. He never regained consciousness and died five weeks later in a hospital near his hometown. His sister, Greidy Mata, is struggling to understand how her brother's health deteriorated so badly while in US custody. She recalled that he seemed fine during their video calls until June, after which she lost contact with him. She reached out to various agencies and lawyers to find out what happened to him. Medical records show that Gamboa was hospitalized with an altered mental state and was taking antipsychotic and antidepressant medications. His relatives and friends denied that he had any history of mental illness before migrating to the US.The US Department of Homeland Security stated that Gamboa was diagnosed with unspecified psychosis and received medical care while in custody. They claimed that their medical care includes dental and mental health screenings, full health assessments, and access to medical appointments and emergency care. By July, Gamboa had been diagnosed with at least 10 conditions, including sepsis and rhabdomyolysis. He was also suffering from protein malnutrition and toxic encephalopathy. His sister is upset that they were not informed about his condition and only found out about his state in August from a lawyer they had hired. The Costa Rican Ministry of Foreign Affairs declined to comment on the case. The director of Costa Rica's migration agency stated that they were notified about Gamboa's deportation but were not given any details about his health. Medical records from the hospital show that Gamboa was in a vegetative state, unable to move or respond. He was undergoing tube placement and was assessed as catatonic. His sister described the situation as a horror story and expressed her grief and frustration.