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Emergency 911 calls detail medical and mental health crises at Texas immigration facility
Public records obtained by ProPublica reveal repeated emergency requests from Camp East Montana staff and outside callers as three detainees died within a six-week span.
The short version
- More than 160 emergency 911 calls from Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, document repeated medical and mental health emergencies among detained immigrants.
- The emergency recordings detail incidents including suicidal ideation, lack of facility oxygen supplies for a COVID-19 patient, an intentional overdose, and outside family members calling 911 to request emergency care for detainees.
- Three men died at the facility between December 2025 and January 2026, including one death ruled a homicide following a physical struggle with guards.
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to keep the facility operating at least through Sept. 30, 2027, while federal officials defend the quality of medical services provided on-site.
Key facts
- ProPublica obtained over 160 emergency 911 call recordings originating from inside Camp East Montana, an immigration detention center located at the Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas.[ProPublica]
- Three detainees died at Camp East Montana between December 2025 and January 2026: Francisco Gaspar-Andres, Geraldo Lunas Campos, and Victor Manuel Díaz.[ProPublica]
- A medical examiner ruled the Jan. 3, 2026 death of Geraldo Lunas Campos a homicide following an altercation with guards over medication.[ProPublica]
- Department of Homeland Security officials stated that Camp East Montana provides comprehensive medical and mental health care and transfers detainees to local emergency services when necessary.[ProPublica]
- Emergency calls recorded facility staff reporting a lack of oxygen supplies for a COVID-19 patient and incidents involving detainees swallowing foreign objects or intentionally overdosing on medication.[ProPublica]
- Immigration and Customs Enforcement plans to operate the Camp East Montana facility through at least Sept. 30, 2027.[ProPublica]
What remains uncertain
- The full autopsy results for Victor Manuel Díaz, who was found unresponsive with fabric around his neck in January 2026, have not been made public.[ProPublica]