County Fight Active-Crisis

El Paso TX — Camp East Montana Deaths + Socorro Mega-Warehouse Complex

El Paso, TX FIPS 48141

Current status: Three deaths at Camp East Montana including one ruled homicide; ICE inspection found 49 detention standards violations; original operator Acquisition Logistics (no detention experience, $1.3B contract) replaced by Amentum in March 2026; DHS purchased three Socorro warehouses for $123M in January 2026; El Paso City Council voted April 13, 2026 to pursue zoning restrictions on new ICE detention facilities; El Paso County Attorney filed FOIA federal lawsuit April 6, 2026; City of Socorro moved to block facility.

The Fight

El Paso County is the center of the most lethal and legally contested ICE detention expansion in the country. Two interconnected facilities define the crisis: Camp East Montana, a tent-city at Fort Bliss that opened in August 2025 as the nation’s largest ICE detention center, and the Eastwind Logistics Center in Socorro — three industrial warehouses purchased by DHS for $123 million in January 2026, intended to become an 8,500-bed mega-facility. Together they represent a planned detention pipeline stretching across the eastern edge of the county.

Three detainees have died at Camp East Montana within a 44-day span. One death was ruled a homicide by the El Paso County Medical Examiner. ICE’s own inspectors found 49 violations of federal detention standards. The original operator had no prior detention experience and was eventually terminated. Local governments — the City of El Paso, El Paso County, and the City of Socorro — have pushed back on multiple fronts including litigation, zoning, and FOIA demands.

The Homicide

Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55, a Cuban national who had lived in the United States since 1996, died on January 3, 2026 at Camp East Montana. The El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide on January 21–22, 2026, finding the cause of death to be asphyxia due to neck and torso compression — he could not breathe due to pressure on his neck and chest while being physically restrained by law enforcement.

ICE’s public narrative shifted as reporting progressed. On January 9, ICE described Lunas Campos as having “experienced medical distress.” After the Washington Post reported that a homicide ruling was expected, ICE revised its account to describe a suicide attempt requiring staff intervention. Witness accounts from fellow detainees, reported by the Associated Press, described guards handcuffing Lunas Campos, tackling him, and placing him in a chokehold until he lost consciousness.

Lunas Campos had a documented history of bipolar disorder and anxiety. He had been detained by ICE in Rochester, New York in July 2025 and transferred to Camp East Montana in September 2025.

Two additional deaths occurred at the facility within six weeks of Lunas Campos:

Francisco Gaspar-Andres, 48, Guatemalan — died December 3, 2025; ICE cited liver and kidney failure; autopsy pending.
Victor Manuel Diaz, 34, Nicaraguan — found unconscious January 14, 2026; circumstances under investigation, possibly suicide-related.

The three deaths at a single facility in 44 days represent a concentration of custodial mortality that drew congressional demands for closure from Rep. Veronica Escobar and more than a dozen colleagues.

The Operator

Acquisition Logistics LLC — an obscure Virginia company operating out of a single-family home in central Virginia with no prior experience running a detention center — was awarded a contract worth up to $1.3 billion in July 2025 to construct and operate Camp East Montana. The company failed to register with the Texas Secretary of State’s office in violation of Texas law, only attempting registration on March 19, 2026 — after DHS had already terminated the contract.

In February 2026, ICE’s Office of Detention Oversight conducted a congressionally mandated inspection and documented 49 deficiencies — violations of federal detention standards including failures in use-of-force documentation, security protocols, medical care, and accurate checks to prevent self-harm and suicide. These violations were found while Acquisition Logistics was still the prime contractor.

In March 2026, DHS terminated Acquisition Logistics and replaced them on a no-bid contract with Amentum Services, Inc., a larger, more established government contractor. The handoff occurred under intense scrutiny, and ICE publicly stated Camp East Montana would remain open under new management.

Public Citizen’s analysis described the contract award to Acquisition Logistics as a case study in the collapse of federal contracting accountability.

The Socorro Warehouses

On January 17, 2026, a general warranty deed transferred the Eastwind Logistics Center — three reinforced concrete warehouses of approximately 296,000 square feet each at 1465–1485 Eastwind Ave, Socorro TX — from El Paso Logistics II LLC (a Delaware entity) to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security for $122–123 million. A second deed established drainage and stormwater obligations, suggesting infrastructure work began before the sale closed.

ICE’s stated plan: convert the three-building complex into an 8,500-capacity mega detention facility, exceeding even Camp East Montana’s size. The property lies within the service area of the Lower Valley Water District, which serves approximately 21,000 customers across Socorro, San Elizario, Clint, and neighboring communities.

Socorro Mayor Rudy Cruz Jr. raised immediate infrastructure concerns: “We in the city of Socorro have many residents who still don’t have adequate water or sewer systems and now [DHS] is planning to put 8,500 people — plus all the contractors and staff — in our water system?” State Rep. Vincent Perez warned that the facility could overwhelm the region’s water infrastructure, while also citing fire safety — invoking the 2023 Ciudad Juárez detention center fire that killed 40 people as a cautionary example of what happens when large facilities lack adequate water pressure.

City Zoning Response

On April 13, 2026, the El Paso City Council voted unanimously to direct city staff to begin drafting zoning ordinance revisions aimed at deterring new immigrant detention facilities within city limits. The action includes evaluation of setback requirements, proximity to residences, and facility size restrictions — measures that could effectively make new facilities infeasible within city boundaries. The council also voted to create a protocol barring federal law enforcement from entering city facilities without a judge-signed judicial warrant.

The zoning action followed an earlier February 2026 council vote to develop formal limits on ICE detention, reflecting a sustained municipal response to the expansion.

County FOIA Litigation

On April 6, 2026, the El Paso County Commissioners Court unanimously approved County Attorney Christina Sanchez’s request to sue the federal government. Sanchez filed a FOIA federal lawsuit against ICE on four counts of violating the Freedom of Information Act, stemming from a February 17, 2026 FOIA request for Socorro facility planning documents — including site maps, permitting requirements, public notice procedures, and records of meetings related to the proposed facility. ICE failed to respond within the Department of Justice’s 20-business-day deadline.

The lawsuit seeks immediate processing of the records and an order preventing ICE from continuing to withhold documents.

Timeline

2025-07: Acquisition Logistics awarded $1.3B contract; Camp East Montana construction begins at Fort Bliss
2025-08-17: Camp East Montana opens for operation
2025-12-03: Francisco Gaspar-Andres dies at Camp East Montana — kidney and liver failure cited
2026-01-03: Geraldo Lunas Campos dies at Camp East Montana during restraint by guards
2026-01-09: ICE says Lunas Campos died of “medical distress”
2026-01-14: Victor Manuel Diaz dies at Camp East Montana — circumstances under investigation
2026-01-17: DHS deed transfer: Eastwind Logistics Center in Socorro to USG for ~$123M
2026-01-21: El Paso County Medical Examiner rules Lunas Campos death a homicide — asphyxia by neck/torso compression
2026-02-03: El Paso City Council first votes to develop detention limits
2026-02-06: El Paso Matters reports $123M warehouse purchase
2026-02-17: El Paso County Attorney submits FOIA request to ICE regarding Socorro facility
2026-02-26: Rep. Escobar and 13 colleagues formally call for Camp East Montana closure
2026-02 (date): ICE Office of Detention Oversight inspection finds 49 violations at Camp East Montana
2026-03: DHS terminates Acquisition Logistics; replaces with Amentum Services on no-bid contract
2026-04-02: ICE inspection report (49 violations) published / reported
2026-04-06: El Paso County Commissioners Court unanimously approves FOIA lawsuit; Sanchez files suit against ICE
2026-04-13: El Paso City Council votes unanimously to pursue zoning restrictions on new ICE detention facilities
2026-04-13: Ciudad of Socorro separately moves to block facility

Key Actors

Geraldo Lunas Campos — 55-year-old Cuban detainee whose death was ruled homicide
Acquisition Logistics LLC — original operator, Virginia home-address company, no detention experience, $1.3B contract, terminated March 2026
Amentum Services, Inc. — replacement operator, no-bid contract, March 2026
Rep. Veronica Escobar — El Paso congresswoman, led closure demands, sent multiple letters to DHS/ICE
County Attorney Christina Sanchez — filed FOIA federal lawsuit April 6, 2026
State Rep. Vincent Perez — warned about water infrastructure strain and fire safety risks
Socorro Mayor Rudy Cruz Jr. — raised water and infrastructure objections publicly
El Paso County Medical Examiner — ruled Lunas Campos death a homicide, cause: asphyxia by neck/torso compression

Sources

This research is published at The RAMM — investigative reporting on the detention pipeline.

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