The family of Victor Manuel Diaz, a 28-year-old Nicaraguan migrant who died in ICE detention facility Camp East Montana in Texas, is outraged over the Department of Homeland Security's suggestion that his death may have been a suicide. The DHS stated that the official cause of death remains under investigation but labeled it as "presumed suicide."
However, Diaz's family strongly disagrees with this assessment and believes that he did not take his own life. In a phone interview from Nicaragua, Yorlan Diaz said, "I don't believe he took his life. He was not a criminal; he was looking for a better life and he wanted to help our mother." The family is calling for a full investigation into Manuel's death.
It is worth noting that this is the third detainee to die at Camp East Montana since it opened last year. Diaz's death follows that of 55-year-old Geraldo Lunas Campos, who was ruled out as a homicide by an El Paso County autopsy report. Campos' attorneys had recently filed a petition to prevent the deportation of witnesses who alleged that guards choked and asphyxiated him.
Diaz's family is also concerned that his body was taken to the William Beaumont Army Medical Center for an autopsy, rather than being sent directly to the local medical examiner. According to Randall Kallinen, a Texas-based attorney representing Diaz's family, he learned that Manuel's body was taken to the military hospital, but the DHS did not respond to questions about why it was not sent to the local medical examiner.
The situation has sparked outrage in the community, with many calling for transparency and accountability. The family is seeking answers and justice for their loved one, who died under mysterious circumstances.
However, Diaz's family strongly disagrees with this assessment and believes that he did not take his own life. In a phone interview from Nicaragua, Yorlan Diaz said, "I don't believe he took his life. He was not a criminal; he was looking for a better life and he wanted to help our mother." The family is calling for a full investigation into Manuel's death.
It is worth noting that this is the third detainee to die at Camp East Montana since it opened last year. Diaz's death follows that of 55-year-old Geraldo Lunas Campos, who was ruled out as a homicide by an El Paso County autopsy report. Campos' attorneys had recently filed a petition to prevent the deportation of witnesses who alleged that guards choked and asphyxiated him.
Diaz's family is also concerned that his body was taken to the William Beaumont Army Medical Center for an autopsy, rather than being sent directly to the local medical examiner. According to Randall Kallinen, a Texas-based attorney representing Diaz's family, he learned that Manuel's body was taken to the military hospital, but the DHS did not respond to questions about why it was not sent to the local medical examiner.
The situation has sparked outrage in the community, with many calling for transparency and accountability. The family is seeking answers and justice for their loved one, who died under mysterious circumstances.