A Guatemalan man has become the first person to die in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody at Fort Bliss army base in Texas. Francisco Gaspar-Andrés, 48, died on 3 December at a hospital in El Paso. His wife of 25 years, Lucía Pedro Juan, was deported to Guatemala on 28 November without being allowed to see him.
ICE stated the suspected cause of death as “natural liver and kidney failure”, attributing it to “complications of alcoholic hepatic cirrhosis”. The agency said medical staff ensured he had constant, high-quality care. However, his wife told the El Paso Times: “I never saw him again, I never spoke to him or heard his voice again. It’s something terrible they did to us.”
Pedro Juan was deported on a flight to Guatemala after being held at the same ICE tent facility, Camp East Montana. She agreed to deportation fearing she might die amid harsh conditions. The couple had lived in Florida for years, raising five children and running a plant nursery, until they were arrested during a traffic stop in September.
Democratic lawmakers and advocates have demanded closure of the camp amid allegations of inhumane conditions, which the Department of Homeland Security called “categorically false”. Guatemala’s foreign ministry has requested an investigation into the death and is assisting with repatriation.
