A Guatemalan immigrant held at ICE's Camp East Montana immigration detention facility has died in an El Paso hospital.
Francisco Gaspar Andres, 48, was pronounced dead on Dec. 3,an ICE news release stated. The official cause of death is pending, but officials state it was likely because of "natural liver and kidney failure."
He was admitted to the Hospitals of Providence East on Nov. 16, but he had been treated by medical staff at the detention facility on Sept. 27, Oct. 2 and Oct. 9.
Gaspar Andres was detained in Florida on Sept. 1 along with his wife. He was transferred to Camp East Montana on Sept. 19 and was scheduled for deportation back to Guatemala.
At least 25 immigrants held in immigration detention facilities across the country have died in 2025, according tocongressional oversight numbers.
Camp East Montana first began receiving deportees on Aug. 1. The detention facility is set to be the largest in the country.
This is the first confirmed death at Camp East Montana, according to U.S. Rep. Veronica Escobar's office.
U.S. Rep Veronica Escobar condemns immigrant's death
Escobar, D-El Paso, has condemned the Trump administration for failing to inform her office of Gaspar Andres' death after his passing and in spite of her previous inquiries in congressional committees earlier in the day on Tuesday, Dec. 9.
"Despite claims from DHS about the inhumane, abhorrent conditions at facilities like Camp East Montana being 'categorically false,' my own visits and discussions with detainees prove otherwise," Escobar said in a statement."Never before has an administration so carelessly made a mockery of the rule of law while hypocritically championing values like law and order. From their denial of true oversight visits to the cruel treatment of detainees at this facility, it is abundantly clear Camp East Montana is not being effectively or humanely operated."
Escobar has continued toraise alarms about the conditionswithin the Camp East Montana facility.
She expressed frustration that none of the issues she had raised, including a lack of medical attention, had been addressed ahead of her latest congressional oversight visit on Dec. 1.
Jeff Abbott covers the border for the El Paso Times, part of the USA TODAY Network, and can be reached at:jdabbott@usatodayco.com;@palabrasdeabajoon Twitteror@palabrasdeabajo.bsky.socialon Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times:Guatemalan immigrant held at Camp East Montana detention center dies
