{"id":2574345,"date":"2026-02-27T09:47:02","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T14:47:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/veronica-escobar-leads-calls-to-close-texas-ice-center-after-three-deaths\/"},"modified":"2026-02-27T09:49:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T14:49:15","slug":"veronica-escobar-leads-calls-to-close-texas-ice-center-after-three-deaths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/veronica-escobar-leads-calls-to-close-texas-ice-center-after-three-deaths\/","title":{"rendered":"Veronica Escobar leads calls to close Texas ICE center after three deaths"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">24<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fveronica-escobar-leads-calls-to-close-texas-ice-center-after-three-deaths%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2574345&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas led roughly two dozen lawmakers in urging the Trump governance to shut down Camp East Montana,ICE\u2019s largest detention centre,located on Fort Bliss in El Paso.They cited mismanagement and dire living conditions, noting at least three detainee deaths as December, including one homicide, and pointing to foul drinking water, rotten food, and inadequate medical care.The facility houses more than 3,000 detainees and has faced health outbreaks, with 17 measles cases (13 at East Montana), along with tuberculosis and COVID-19 cases. Built by acquisition Logistics,LLC for about $1.2 billion, the camp\u2019s operation has drawn sharp criticism from immigration advocates and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/cyclist-transportation-secretary-wants-to-tax-americans-who-drive-cars\/\" title=\"Cyclist Transportation Secretary Wants to Tax Americans Who Drive Cars\">civil liberties groups<\/a> calling for its closure. ICE and DHS did not immediately comment. The deaths have intensified scrutiny of the center, including disputes over the causes of death and the treatment of detainees, such as the death of Geraldo Lunas Campos and other inmates whose families say medical care and conditions worsened their outcomes.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Veronica Escobar leads calls to close Texas ICE detention center after deaths<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2515949\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Rep. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/directory.texastribune.org\/veronica-escobar\/\">Veronica Escobar<\/a> (D-TX) led Democrats on Thursday in urging the Trump administration to shut down an <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ice\/\">Immigration and Customs Enforcement<\/a> center in <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/texas\/\">Texas<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Two dozen lawmakers cited concerns over mismanagement and poor living conditions at El Paso&rsquo;s Camp East Montana. They pointed to the three deaths at the facility since December, which include one homicide.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4473708\/trump-gop-lacks-midterm-legislative-agenda-state-union\/\">Trump-led GOP lacks clear midterm legislative agenda after State of the Union<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4473922\/hillary-clinton-epstein-deposition-ufos-pizzagate\/\">Clinton says she was asked about UFOs and Pizzagate at &#8216;unusual&#8217; Epstein deposition<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/house\/4473636\/house-rebels-doge-investigation-sexual-misconduct-slush-fund\/\">House rebels launch DOGE investigation into <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/republicans-probe-congressional-sexual-misconduct-slush-fund\/\" title=\"...ublicans probe congressional sexual misconduct \u2018slush fund\u2019\">congressional sexual misconduct &#038;lsquo<\/a>;slush fund&rsquo;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Aside from the ICE center&rsquo;s &ldquo;poor&rdquo; and hasty construction, the lawmakers said that detainees have been grappling with &ldquo;foul&rdquo; drinking water, rotten food, and inadequate medical care.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We do not believe Camp East Montana is being run professionally or responsibly,&rdquo; Escobar and 23 other congressional Democrats wrote <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/escobar.house.gov\/uploadedfiles\/shut_down_camp_east_montana_final.pdf\">in a letter<\/a> to ICE director Todd Lyons and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. &ldquo;For the safety of everyone at the facility, for an end to abuses to detainees, and for fiscal responsibility to the American people, the site cannot continue to operate.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>The <em>Washington Examiner <\/em>reached out to ICE and DHS for comment, but did not receive a reply. The Trump administration has <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dhs.gov\/news\/2025\/09\/17\/dhs-debunks-washington-posts-false-reporting-about-camp-east-montana-fort-bliss\">previously dismissed <\/a>humanitarian concerns about the El Paso detention center.<\/p>\n<p>Escobar, Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), and other lawmakers said Camp East Montana was built by Acquisition Logistics, LLC, a company holding &ldquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >previous experience managing immigration detention facilities<\/a>,&rdquo; at a cost of $1.2 billion in taxpayer funds.<\/p>\n<p>The East Montana facility is ICE&rsquo;s largest detention center, holding more than 3,000 men and women on Fort Bliss, a military base. Health officials announced Thursday that 17 measles cases have been reported in El Paso, including 13 at Camp East Montana. Earlier this month, officials reported two cases of tuberculosis and 18 cases of COVID-19 at the facility.<\/p>\n<p>Immigration advocates and civil liberties groups have long expressed concern about <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/mark-cuban-ripped-for-past-defense-of-china-nba-ties-following-move-to-banish-anthem-from-games\/\" title=\"Mark Cuban Ripped For Past Defense Of China\/NBA Ties Following Move To Banish Anthem From Games\">alleged human rights abuses<\/a>, particularly after Geraldo Lunas Campos&rsquo;s death at Camp East Montana in early January. The American Civil Liberties Union suggested Lunas Campos, 55, was &ldquo;choked to death&rdquo; by guards, and <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.aclu.org\/press-releases\/aclu-renews-calls-for-closure-of-camp-east-montana-following-reports-that-detained-immigrant-was-choked-to-death-by-ice-officer\">urged Congress<\/a> to shut the facility down.<\/p>\n<p>After initially saying Lunas Campos died from &ldquo;medical distress,&rdquo; officials in mid-February updated the cause of death to say it was the result of staff&rsquo;s &ldquo;spontaneous use of force&rdquo; to prevent the man from &ldquo;harming himself.&rdquo; The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ask-not-reveals-the-kennedys-mistreatment-of-women\/\" title=\"Ask Not&#039; reveals the Kennedys&#039; mis... of women\">medical examiner&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s autopsy found that he became &ldquo;unresponsive while being physically restrained by law enforcement.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Less than two weeks after Lunas Campos died, officials said Victor Manuel Diaz, 35, died by suicide at Camp East Montana, a finding contested by his family.<\/p>\n<p>Unlike Lunas Campos, Manuel Diaz&rsquo;s body was&nbsp;sent to a U.S. Army hospital&nbsp;rather than the local medical examiner. A military spokesperson said that the agency would not make his autopsy public, according to the <em>Texas Tribune<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>Previously, officials said Francisco Gaspar-Andres, 48, died on Dec. 3 of liver and kidney failure after being hospitalized for over two weeks following detention.&nbsp;The El Paso County Medical Examiner&nbsp;reported in late January that Gaspar-Andres died of natural causes.<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4471057\/house-democrats-ignore-hakeem-jeffries-state-union-taunts\/\"><strong>HOUSE DEMOCRATS IGNORE HAKEEM JEFFRIES&rsquo; PLEA TO SIT SILENT AT STATE OF THE UNION<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Critics have alleged Gaspar-Andres was only hospitalized &ldquo;once his condition had severely deteriorated,&rdquo; with his family <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.texastribune.org\/2026\/02\/26\/democrats-veronica-escobar-detention-deaths-texas-east-montana-campos\/\">telling the<\/a> <em>Texas Tribune <\/em>that they believed poor treatment and Camp East Montana&rsquo;s lack of medical care exacerbated his condition, leading to the man&rsquo;s death.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;My father told me he was suffering greatly there in that jail, from lack of food, lack of medical attention, and the conditions of the place,&rdquo; Gaspar-Andres&rsquo;s daughter said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Escobar leads bid to shut Texas ICE center after deaths<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2574346,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP24290607767765.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[74741,74739,50285,74740,74738],"class_list":["post-2574345","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-centerclosure","tag-closeicecenter","tag-immigrationpolicy","tag-texaspolitics","tag-veronicaescobar"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/AP24290607767765.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574345","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2574345"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574345\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2574349,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2574345\/revisions\/2574349"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2574346"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2574345"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2574345"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2574345"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}