Overview
- ICE says contract security found Victor Manuel Diaz, 36, unconscious in his room on Jan. 14 at Camp East Montana, with EMS arriving at 3:45 p.m. and pronouncing him dead at 4:09 p.m.; the cause is under investigation though the agency presumes suicide.
- Diaz, a Nicaraguan national, was arrested by ICE in Minneapolis on Jan. 6, processed as a final order of removal on Jan. 12, and held pending deportation.
- Officials confirm Diaz is the third reported death linked to the Fort Bliss facility since it opened, as multiple in-custody fatalities have been recorded across ICE sites in the early weeks of 2026.
- A separate Jan. 3 death at the same site—Geraldo Lunas Campos—drew a preliminary medical examiner finding of asphyxia likely to be ruled a homicide, conflicting with DHS and ICE statements describing a suicide-prevention intervention.
- Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. Tina Smith called for a full, independent investigation, Rep. Veronica Escobar urged closing the privately operated site, and ICE defended its medical screening and death-notification procedures.