A Nicaraguan immigrant apprehended by immigration agents in Minneapolis died in a detention camp in El Paso, Texas, while awaiting deportation, according to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Victor Manuel Diaz, 36, of Nicaragua, is the third detainee to die at the enormous prison facility known as Camp East Montana.
He was pronounced deceased on Wednesday, January 14, according to an ICE report dated January 18. The cause was likely suicide. He obtained his final removal order on January 12.
Diaz was apprehended by ICE authorities on January 6 during operations in Minneapolis, where thousands of federal agents have been deployed as part of President Donald Trump’s crackdown on immigration enforcement. The operation in Minnesota has been fraught with controversy, including the shooting death of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE agent on January 7.
Francisco Gaspar Cristóbal Andrés died as the first captive at the El Paso institution. The 48-year-old Guatemala native was rushed to the hospital on November 16 and died on December 3.
Another captive, Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55, a Cuban immigrant, died on January 3. His death is suspected to have been a homicide.
Camp East Montana opened in August
Camp East Montana began accepting prisoners in August 2025. As of December 19, the huge detention facility built on Fort Bliss soil had 3,080 inmates.
Civil rights advocates, including Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, have expressed worry about the facility’s circumstances.
The El Paso Times, a member of the USA TODAY Network, reported over 90 emergency 911 health calls from the facility within its first 15 weeks of existence. The Washington Post documented numerous violations of rules during construction, while the American Civil Liberties Union reported physical aggression against inmates and attempts to push them to self-deport.
Since January 1, at least six migrants have died in U.S. immigration detention facilities.
