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Undocumented immigrant who resided in Maryland dies in ICE custody in Louisiana

By
FOX 5 DC
Maryland
Published October 8, 2026 9:24 PM EDT
Published October 8, 2026 9:24 PM EDT
article

The Brief

    • An undocumented man who resided in Laurel, Maryland, died while in ICE custody in Louisiana. He was a native of Peru, ICE said.
    • An immigration judge denied the man's request for self-deportation nearly a week before his death. 
    • ICE said his cause of death is unknown, but an autopsy will be conducted.

LAUREL, Md. - A 47-year-old undocumented man who resided in Maryland died while in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody in Louisiana, the agency said. 

What we know:

Julian Curo-Churata, a native of Peru, died on September 29 at the Ochsner LSU Health Monroe Medical Center in Monroe, Louisiana. Preliminarily, his cause of death is unknown, according to ICE. An autopsy will be conducted. 

According to Maryland Senator Chris Van Hollen, Curo-Churata was living in Laurel, Maryland, before he was taken into custody. 

ICE officials said Curo-Churata was found in medical distress on the day of his death. Around 8:15 p.m. local time, staff at a detention facility took Curo-Churata to the medical center for treatment. He was pronounced dead the next morning around 4 a.m.

"While in custody, Curo received proper medical care and was seen by medical professionals," ICE said in a statement.

He was the 37th person to die while in ICE custody in the past year, according to Sen. Van Hollen.

"There must be a full independent investigation into his death," the senator said in a social media post. "Not another dime for this lawlessness."

Dig deeper:

Curo-Churata entered the U.S. on an unknown date and at an unknown location without inspection, ICE said. Baltimore immigration officials arrested him during a targeted enforcement operation on June 27 and served him with a notice to appear. 

Curo-Churata was transferred to the custody of Enforcement and Removal New Orleans on June 29 and detained at the Richwood Correctional Center, according to ICE. 

On September 18, an immigration judge denied his applications for relief and voluntary deportation. ICE officials noted that he had the right to appeal the decision. 

According to ICE, Curo-Churata had previous convictions for driving with an expired registration and had a separate court judgment against him in favor of the Comptroller of Maryland.

Officials said Curo-Churata’s spouse and attorney were notified of his death, along with the Consulate General of Peru.

"ICE is committed to ensuring that all those in custody reside in safe, secure and humane environments," the agency said in a statement.

The Source: Information in this article is from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

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