Van Hollen Seeks ICE Records After Detained Laurel Man’s Death
Van Hollen has requested records from the Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement concerning Curo-Churata’s medical treatment, detention-center surveillance video and the events leading up to his death. The agencies have until November 16 to respond. The senator also wants to know why staff transported Curo-Churata to a hospital instead of calling an ambulance, and when they first realized his condition needed attention.
Curo-Churata, 47, was detained in Laurel in June and transferred to the Richwood Correctional Center in Monroe, Louisiana. He died at a hospital on September 29. His family’s attorney has said hospital records attribute the death to cardiac arrest caused by septic shock, and has questioned whether requests for care were ignored.
ICE said Curo-Churata received appropriate care and was seen by medical professionals. Van Hollen’s letter questions that account, citing reports that guards described him as lethargic and unresponsive during the day. According to the agency’s account, he left for the hospital at 20:14 on September 29; hospital records put his arrival at 22:26 that evening. The facility is about a seven-minute drive away.
The senator also questioned a notice telling Ramírez the government intended to deport her. It arrived three days after she spoke publicly about her husband’s death, Van Hollen said, and he characterized the timing as an apparent effort to retaliate. He said his office has spoken with Ramírez, who is worried about deportation and its effect on their child.
Van Hollen Demands Answers on ICE Death and Wife’s Deportation
The questions surrounding Curo-Churata’s death and his wife’s deportation notice demand more than assurances from ICE. Van Hollen has asked the Department of Homeland Security and the immigration agency to provide medical records, surveillance footage and a detailed account of what happened before the 47-year-old died. They have until November 16 to respond.
Curo-Churata was detained in Laurel in June and held at the Richwood Correctional Center in Louisiana. He died at a hospital on September 29. His family’s lawyer says hospital records list cardiac arrest due to septic shock and has raised concerns that requests for medical help were not addressed.
ICE has said Curo-Churata received appropriate treatment. But the senator is seeking answers about reports that guards described him as lethargic and unresponsive, and about the gap between the agency’s reported departure time of 20:14 and the hospital’s recorded arrival time of 22:26 on September 29. He also wants to know why staff drove him rather than calling an ambulance.
Ramírez received a notice of the government’s intent to deport her three days after speaking to the media about her husband’s death. Van Hollen has questioned that timing and called it an apparent act of retaliation. He says she is frightened about deportation and what it would mean for their child. The case underscores the need for answers on both the death and the government’s treatment of a grieving family.
Van Hollen Uses ICE Death to Attack Trump’s Immigration Enforcement
Van Hollen is turning a disputed account of a detainee’s death into a broader attack on immigration enforcement, while demanding that federal agencies produce records by November 16. His request seeks medical information, surveillance footage and a timeline from the Louisiana facility where Curo-Churata was held.
Curo-Churata, 47, was detained in Laurel in June and died at a hospital on September 29. ICE said he was given suitable medical attention and evaluated by professionals. His family’s attorney disputes the handling of his condition, citing hospital records listing cardiac arrest due to septic shock and concerns about delayed treatment.
The senator is focusing on differences in the reported timeline: according to ICE, Curo-Churata left for the hospital at 20:14 on September 29; hospital records list his arrival as 22:26 that evening. Van Hollen is also asking why staff transported him instead of calling an ambulance. Those questions are the basis for his call for an independent investigation; the agency’s account is that Curo-Churata received care.
Van Hollen also alleges that the deportation notice sent to Curo-Churata’s wife, Verónica Ramírez, may have been retaliation for speaking to the media. The notice came three days after her comments about her husband’s death. Ramírez is worried about her own removal and its impact on their child, Van Hollen said. The agencies’ response to his records request is due November 16.
Reported by The Baltimore Banner, WTOP.
