El Paso, Texas — Federal officials are investigating the death of a Nicaraguan immigrant at a Texas immigration detention facility, marking the second reported detainee death at the same site in recent weeks.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement said Victor Manuel Diaz, 36, was found unresponsive last Wednesday at the tent-based detention complex located at the U.S. Army’s Fort Bliss base in El Paso. ICE said Diaz appears to have died by suicide, though the investigation remains ongoing. The agency did not release additional details, noting that it reports all in-custody deaths to Congress and posts public summaries online.
Diaz was detained Jan. 6 as part of a federal immigration crackdown in Minnesota and later transferred to Texas. ICE said Diaz entered the United States in March 2024, was released on parole pending immigration proceedings, and later received a final order of removal after failing to appear at a court hearing. Authorities said that order was issued Jan. 12, two days before he was found unconscious.
The death occurred at Camp Montana East, the same area where another detainee, Geraldo Lunas Campos, died earlier this month. ICE initially said staff were attempting to prevent self-harm, but a preliminary finding by the El Paso County Medical Examiner concluded Lunas Campos died from asphyxia caused by chest and neck compression, with the death likely to be classified as a homicide.
ICE said its investigation into both deaths is continuing.
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