EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) — Another detainee at Camp East Montana has died, according to Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
ICE reported a third detainee death in a news release sent out on Sunday, Jan. 18. This is also the second detainee death this month at the sprawling Fort Bliss-based facility.
Victor Manuel Diaz, a 36-year-old undocumented migrant from Nicaragua, died in ICE custody Jan. 14 at Camp East Montana in El Paso, according to ICE. He was pronounced deceased at 4:09 p.m.
Contract security staff found Diaz unconscious and unresponsive in his room, ICE said.
They immediately notified contract medical staff on-site to conduct life-saving measures. At 3:35 p.m., El Paso EMS was notified. At 3:45 p.m., EMS arrived and continued life-saving measures on the Diaz. He was pronounced deceased by EMS at 4:09 p.m. on Jan. 14.
He died of a presumed suicide, ICE said. However, the official cause of his death remains under investigation.
Diaz entered ICE custody on Jan. 6. ICE officers encountered him in Minneapolis and determined he was unlawfully present in the United States. He was subsequently arrested for an immigration violation.
According to ICE records, Diaz illegally entered the United States on March 26, 2024, when he was encountered by U.S. Border Patrol agents on the U.S. side of the U.S.–Mexico border. After processing, he was served a notice to appear before an immigration judge and released on parole pending his court date.
An immigration judge ordered Diaz removed in absentia on Aug. 26, 2025. On Jan. 12, ICE processed him as a final order of removal and detained him pending removal from the United States.
Francisco Gaspar Cristobal Andres was the first detainee held at the Fort Bliss immigration facility to die. The 48-year-old man from Guatemala was taken to the hospital on Nov. 16 and died on Dec. 3 of “suspected natural causes.”
A second detainee, Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55, from Cuba, died on Jan. 3. His death is being considered a likely homicide.
U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar said she was notified of this latest death at the migrant camp.
“This is the 3rd person who has died in the $1.24 billion privately-run facility that focuses on profits instead of meeting basic standards,” she said on social media.
“Two deaths in one month means conditions are worsening. Camp East Montana must be shut down immediately,” Escobar added.
Camp East Montana began receiving detainees in August 2025. The facility is on Fort Bliss land.