Six people died in ICE custody in Texas over six weeks between December and January, with three fatalities at Camp East Montana alone. The deaths include 55-year-old Cuban national Geraldo Lunas Campos, whose autopsy revealed he was suffocated while being physically restrained by law enforcement. Federal officials initially attributed his death to medical distress, but the medical examiner ruled it a homicide.

Texas now holds more than 18,700 ICE detainees, the nation's highest share, as the Trump administration expands detention operations. The state has become what advocates call the "deportation funnel," with four daily flights departing on average. The expansion comes amid reports of overcrowding, understaffing, and reduced oversight. A former senior ICE official warned that the combination of increased detention and diminished standards "appears destined to lead to more deaths, medical issues and trauma for detainees."

Camp East Montana, the country's largest ICE detention center, was built in two months under a $1.2 billion contract awarded to Acquisition Logistics, a Virginia corporation with no detention experience. Since opening, the facility has faced allegations of medical neglect, abuse, and unsanitary conditions. ICE inspectors found at least 60 violations shortly after opening. With 32 deaths nationwide in ICE custody last year—nearly a quarter in Texas—advocacy groups are calling the situation an "unfolding humanitarian crisis" and seeking whistleblowers to report conditions inside Texas detention facilities.