Overview
- Victor Manuel Diaz, a 36-year-old Nicaraguan, was found unresponsive in his room on Jan. 14 and was pronounced dead at 4:09 p.m., with ICE describing the case as a presumed suicide while the official cause remains under investigation.
- Diaz was arrested by ICE in Minneapolis on Jan. 6, had been ordered removed in absentia in August 2025, and was processed as a final order of removal on Jan. 12.
- His death is the facility’s third in 44 days, following the Jan. 3 death of Cuban detainee Geraldo Lunas Campos, which a preliminary medical examiner finding indicated likely resulted from asphyxia due to chest and neck compression, conflicting with ICE’s initial account.
- Rep. Veronica Escobar urged closing the privately operated complex, and Minnesota leaders including Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Tina Smith called for full, impartial investigations, while ICE said it remains committed to safe, humane detention and comprehensive medical care.
- Camp East Montana is a large soft‑sided complex at Fort Bliss that held about 2,903 detainees as of Jan. 8 under a roughly $1.2 billion private contract and has faced scrutiny for prior standards violations and expanding use during heightened enforcement.