How many more must die before you actually care?

I write with urgency and profound alarm regarding the ongoing and accelerating crisis of deaths in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. The most recent and extraordinarily disturbing incident — the death of Geraldo Lunas Campos in ICE custody — must serve as a watershed moment demanding immediate Congressional intervention. On January 3, 2026, Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old father and immigrant from Cuba, died in ICE detention at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas. Although ICE initially claimed his death resulted from an “attempted suicide,” the El Paso County Medical Examiner ruled his death a homicide due to asphyxia from neck and torso compression. Witnesses reported that multiple guards restrained him, placing force on his neck and back until he became unresponsive — facts that raise grave concerns about the use of force, treatment of detainees, and transparency from federal authorities. This tragic death did not occur in isolation. According to publicly available records, the following individuals have died while in ICE custody in 2026 (to date): • Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55 (Cuba), died while detained at Camp East Montana — ruled a homicide. • Luis Gustavo Núñez Caceres, 42 (Honduras), died at Joe Corley Processing Center (Conroe, TX). • Luis Beltran Yanez-Cruz, 68 (Honduras), died at Imperial Regional Detention Facility (Calexico, CA). • Parady La, 46 (Cambodia), died at Federal Detention Center Philadelphia; family alleges medical neglect. • Heber Sanchez Domínguez, 34 (Mexico), died at Robert A. Deyton Detention Facility (Lovejoy, GA). • Victor Manuel Diaz, 36 (Nicaragua), died at Camp East Montana; circumstances disputed and death classification contested. • Lorth Sim, 59 (Cambodian refugee), found unresponsive in his cell at Miami Correctional Facility (Indiana); cause under investigation. • Jairo Garcia-Hernandez, 27 (Guatemala), died after collapsing while in custody at Larkin Community Hospital (Miami, FL) — death under investigation. These are just the deaths that have been publicly disclosed; there are compelling reasons to believe that additional fatalities have occurred and have not yet been transparently reported. In fact, data suggest that ICE custody deaths in 2026 have already risen sharply compared to recent years, compounding a record-high toll in 2025 under current federal enforcement policies. This cascade of human tragedies demands urgent Congressional action. Accordingly, I respectfully but emphatically call on Congress to: 1. Launch a comprehensive, independent investigation of all deaths in ICE custody in 2026, including the circumstances of force used, medical care provided, and policies governing restraint, supervision, and reporting. 2. Hold public hearings with testimony from families of the deceased, whistleblowers, medical examiners, and oversight officials to identify systemic failures and abuses within ICE detention. 3. Secure full transparency from the Department of Homeland Security and ICE, requiring timely public disclosure of all deaths, complete autopsy reports, and internal incident reviews. 4. Condition DHS budget and contracts on the implementation of enforceable standards for detainee health, safety, restraint policies, and independent monitoring, with swift consequences for violations. 5. Mandate independent oversight — including civilian review boards or inspectors general — empowered to subpoena witnesses, review evidence, and make binding recommendations. The magnitude of lives lost — fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, and human beings with families and communities — cannot be allowed to be met with silence, delayed reports, or bureaucratic obfuscation. Congress has both a constitutional and moral obligation to safeguard the rule of law and protect every individual in U.S. custody. This duty includes ensuring that government power is never exercised without accountability. I urge you to act swiftly, transparently, and with the seriousness this issue demands.