Medical Examiner Suggests Homicide in ICE Detainee's Death

The death of 55-year-old Cuban national Geraldo Lunas Campos on January 3 at the Camp East Montana detention facility in El Paso, Texas, is under scrutiny following preliminary findings from the El Paso County Medical Examiner's Office. An employee informed Lunas Campos's daughter that the office is likely to classify the death as a homicide, pending toxicology results. The preliminary cause of death is cited as "asphyxia due to neck and chest compression."

Lunas Campos had been in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody since July 2025. On the day of his death, ICE reported that he became disruptive while waiting for medication and was placed in segregation. Staff later observed him in distress and contacted medical personnel, but he was pronounced dead at 10:16 p.m.

An eyewitness account from fellow detainee Santos Jesus Flores contradicts the official report. Flores stated that he saw five guards restraining Lunas Campos, who resisted entering the segregation unit due to not having his medications. According to Flores, Lunas Campos repeatedly said, "I cannot breathe," during the struggle.

ICE has not provided further comments on the incident, and the final autopsy report is pending. Lunas Campos's death is one of four reported in ICE custody within the first ten days of 2026, raising concerns about detainee treatment and facility conditions.