The death of Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban detainee at Camp East Montana in El Paso, Texas, has been ruled a homicide by the El Paso County Medical Examiner's Office. Lunas Campos died on January 3 while in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody. This ruling intensifies scrutiny on the facility, which faces ongoing concerns about a measles outbreak, multiple detainee deaths, and allegations of poor conditions and inadequate medical care.
Autopsy Findings and Cause of Death
The El Paso County Medical Examiner's Office announced on Wednesday that Geraldo Lunas Campos's death was a homicide. The cause of death was determined as asphyxia due to neck and torso compression. Dr. Adam Gonzalez, the deputy medical examiner, stated that Lunas Campos became unresponsive while being physically restrained by law enforcement. The autopsy report noted signs of a struggle, including abrasions on his chest and knees, hemorrhages on his neck, and petechial hemorrhages in his eyelids and neck skin. A reviewing forensic pathologist, Dr. Victor Weedn, supported these findings as consistent with asphyxia.
Conflicting Accounts of the Incident
Official statements and witness accounts regarding Lunas Campos's death have presented varied narratives:
- ICE's Initial Account: ICE initially stated that Lunas Campos experienced "medical distress" after becoming disruptive while in line for medication and being moved to segregation, where staff later observed him in distress.
- Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Account: A DHS spokesperson later stated that Lunas Campos was attempting suicide and "violently resisted" security staff who intervened. During the struggle, he reportedly stopped breathing and lost consciousness. DHS also highlighted Lunas Campos's prior criminal history, identifying him as a "criminal illegal alien and convicted child sex predator" with convictions from 2003 and 2009.
- Witness Account: Santos Jesus Flores, a detainee at Camp East Montana, reported observing at least five guards restraining Lunas Campos, who was handcuffed and tackled.
Flores stated he heard Lunas Campos repeatedly say in Spanish, "I cannot breathe," before losing consciousness.
One report indicated a guard placed an arm around his neck and applied pressure. Family attorneys have since filed an emergency petition to prevent the deportation of alleged witnesses.
Background of Geraldo Lunas Campos
Geraldo Lunas Campos, a father of four, was 55 years old and from Cuba. He was legally admitted to the U.S. in 1996 and had resided in Rochester, New York, for nearly two decades prior to his arrest. Lunas Campos had a history of bipolar disorder and anxiety, and prescription medications were found in his system. He was arrested by immigration officers in July of the previous year as part of an enforcement operation due to prior convictions, including sexual contact with an individual under 11 in 2003 and attempting to sell a controlled substance in 2009. His adult daughter has disputed the child sexual abuse accusation, attributing it to a custody dispute. An immigration judge had ordered his deportation in March 2005, but his removal was not executed as travel documents could not be obtained. He had been held at Camp East Montana since September 6, among the initial group of detainees at the facility.
Other Deaths at Camp East Montana
Lunas Campos's death is one of at least three reported at Camp East Montana within a six-week period, raising further alarm:
- Francisco Gaspar-Andres: A 48-year-old Guatemalan man, died on December 3 from what ICE described as liver and kidney failure. Lawmakers have stated that his death appeared partially linked to poor medical care. The El Paso Medical Examiner is investigating, with an autopsy pending.
- Victor Manuel Diaz: A 36-year-old Nicaraguan man, was found unconscious in his room on January 14. ICE stated Diaz "died of a presumed suicide," though his family disputes this characterization. His autopsy results have not been publicly released, as his body was sent to a U.S. Army hospital instead of the local medical examiner. Diaz had been detained on January 6 for deportation purposes.
Camp East Montana Facility Context
Camp East Montana, a soft-sided tent facility on the Fort Bliss military base in El Paso, was hastily constructed last summer. It operates as the country's largest immigration detention center, with a capacity for 5,000 individuals, and holds an average of 2,954 detainees. The $1.2 billion contract for the facility was awarded to Acquisition Logistics LLC, a company that reportedly had no prior experience running a corrections facility. It remains unclear if the guards involved in Lunas Campos's death were government employees or private contractors.
Conditions and Outbreaks
The facility has been the subject of intense criticism from human rights organizations and lawmakers regarding its conditions and medical care:
- Measles Outbreak: At least 14 active measles cases have been confirmed at Camp East Montana, leading to the isolation of 112 additional individuals and the facility's closure to visitors and attorneys. Representative Veronica Escobar stated that detainees with measles have been quarantined at local hospitals and expressed concern about the risk to the broader El Paso community. This outbreak follows previous reports of tuberculosis and COVID-19 cases at the facility.
- Allegations of Poor Medical Care: Representative Escobar and advocates characterize the situation as a humanitarian crisis, citing mounting complaints of inadequate medical care. Allegations include lack of services for detainees with serious medical issues, including pregnant women, and individuals with diabetes and HIV. Some detainees reportedly waited for months for medical assistance. Personnel were not observed wearing masks during multiple oversight visits, despite the presence of highly infectious diseases.
- Abuse Allegations: Advocacy groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union, have reported over 45 allegations of abuse and serious injuries from detainees, including a teen who alleged assault by staff.
Broader Context of ICE Custody Deaths
Deaths in U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody have reached 23 since October, marking the deadliest fiscal year for immigration detention since 2004. This number exceeds the total deaths for the entire previous fiscal year and coincides with a rise in the number of individuals in ICE detention, currently nearing 70,000.
- Oversight Concerns: Former agency officials and immigration advocates suggest that an increase in detained individuals, combined with reduced oversight, may contribute to a higher number of fatalities. Concerns have been raised regarding conditions in detention centers, negligence, and delays in public reporting of deaths. The Civil Rights and Civil Liberties office at DHS experienced significant staff reductions, which employees stated could lead to more deaths.
- Agency Response: ICE states that detained individuals are not denied emergency care and generally receive a full health assessment within 14 days of entering custody, along with access to medical appointments and 24-hour emergency care. DHS has defended medical care at Camp East Montana.
Calls for Investigation and Closure
Representative Veronica Escobar, whose district includes El Paso, has called for DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and acting ICE Director Todd M. Lyons to brief Congress on the deaths. She also requested the preservation of all evidence, the shut down of Camp East Montana, and the termination of its operating contract. More than two dozen Democratic lawmakers have called for the Department of Justice to investigate the contractor, Acquisition Logistics. Advocacy groups also support the closure of the facility.
Family Response and Legal Actions
Jeanette Pagan-Lopez, the mother of Lunas Campos's two youngest children, stated she was informed of the homicide finding by the medical examiner. She reported difficulties in obtaining information from ICE and arranging for the return of Lunas Campos's body without cremation, expressing a desire for justice and for his body to be returned to Rochester. Attorneys representing the Campos family have filed an emergency petition to prevent the deportation of two alleged witnesses, which a federal judge granted.