Federal officials confirmed that Victor Manuel Diaz, an immigrant from Nicaragua, was found dead last week at the sprawling Texas immigration detention facility located at the U.S. Army’s Fort Bill base in El Paso, as per AP News. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE, said in a statement that Diaz appears to have killed himself on Wednesday, and the federal investigation into his death is currently underway.
While any death in custody is awful, this particular facility, Camp Montana East, carries an extremely chilling precedent that makes ICE’s official statement really difficult to accept at face value. This is the exact same location where another detainee, Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55, died earlier this month. ICE also initially claimed that Lunas Campos died while staff members were trying to prevent him from taking his own life.
However, that official narrative completely falls apart when you look at the preliminary findings from the El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office. The medical examiner concluded that Lunas Campos died from asphyxia caused by chest and neck compression, suggesting the death would likely be classified as a homicide.
That is a massive contradiction to the official story, and it demands serious answers about the training and procedures at Camp Montana East
A fellow detainee provided a firsthand account of what happened to Lunas Campos. The witness explained that Lunas Campos was handcuffed and refused to return to his cell. When he resisted, at least five guards then pinned him to the floor. The detainee specifically claimed that at least one of the guards had an arm squeezed around Lunas Campos’ neck.
Victor Manuel Diaz, 36, was found unconscious in his room just two days after receiving a final order for removal on January 12. His journey through the immigration system started when he entered the United States in March 2024. Border Patrol officers took him into custody initially, but he was released on parole pending a court date.
Unfortunately, Diaz didn’t attend his court hearing in August, and a judge ordered him to leave the U.S. Authorities swept him up again on January 6 during a federal crackdown on immigration in Minnesota, which is why he was sent to the Texas facility where he died. ICE hasn’t released many other details about Diaz’s death, but they have confirmed they are still investigating both his death and the death of Lunas Campos.
Given the medical examiner’s finding on the earlier death, you’d think there would be immediate, transparent changes to how staff handles restraint and alleged suicide attempts at Camp Montana East. It’s just tragic that two men have died in such a short period, especially when the circumstances surrounding the first death are so incredibly questionable. Although some internal pushbacks have recently occurred to curb ICE’s rampant behavior, it seems that it will take much more than that.
Published: Jan 20, 2026 01:00 pm