EL PASO, TX — A Cuban migrant's death at a Texas detention center earlier this month wasofficially ruled a homicide, according to an autopsy report released on Jan. 21 by the county medical examiner's office.
Geraldo Lunas Campos, 55, died on Jan. 3 at Camp East Montana, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center in East El Paso near the U.S.-Mexico border. The detention center is located on Fort Bliss property.
At the time of his death, Lunas Campos had been held at the facility for nearly four months. In a Jan. 9 news release, ICE said Lunas Campos was pronounced dead after "experiencing medical distress."
ICE officials later alleged that Lunas Campos attempted suicide and security staff tried to save him. But in theautopsy reportreleased by the El Paso County Office of the Medical Examiner, his cause of death was "asphyxia due to neck and torso compression."
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"Based on the investigative and examination findings, it is my opinion that the cause of death is asphyxia due to neck and torso compression," the report states. "The manner of death is homicide."
Camp East Montana, which opened in August 2025, is the largest ICE detention center in the United States and is projected to hold 5,000 detainees for deportation. The facility's capacity grew to 3,250 people as of Dec. 19, 2025.
The detention center has drawn repeated allegations of inhumane conditions and inadequate oversight.
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Autopsy report: Cuban migrant became unresponsive while being restrained
In the Jan. 9 news release, ICE said Lunas Campos became "disruptive" while in line for medication. He was placed in segregation where "staff observed him in distress and contacted on-site medical personnel for assistance," the release states.
But according to the autopsy report released by the county medical examiner's office, Lunas Campos became "unresponsive while being physically restrained by law enforcement." He had "scattered superficial abrasions" all over his body, the report states.
The medical examiner also found a hemorrhage involving the strap muscles and connective tissues of the neck. Lunas Campos also had "petechial hemorrhages" in the eyelids and in the front and side of his neck, along with fractured ribs, according to the report.
Lunas Campos' medical history included suffering from bipolar disorder and anxiety, the report states. The medical examiner wrote that a toxicology report found that Lunas Campos had trazodone, an antidepressant, and hydroxyzine, an antihistamine, in his system.
Though the report states his cause of death is homicide, it is not a legal finding and does not mean criminal charges will be filed against those involved in the incident.
ICE previously said the death was under investigation, but has not commented further. The Federal Bureau of Investigation said it cannot confirm or deny if an investigation is underway because of U.S. Department of Justice policy. Typically, the FBI investigates homicides at federal facilities and on federal property.
ICE response to reports of homicide ruling
On Jan. 15,The Washington Postfirst reported that Lunas Campos' death was being investigated as a "likely homicide." Rep. Veronica Escobar, D-El Paso, later confirmed in a statement that officials have "learned that another detainee has died, and the El Paso County Medical Examiner is likely to rule it a homicide."
ICE responded to The Post's report in a social media post on Jan. 16, alleging that Lunas Campos was attempting to commit suicide and "violently resisted the security staff."
"On January 3rd, Geraldo Lunas Campos, a criminal illegal alien and convicted child sex predator, attempted to take his own life while he was detained at the Camp East Montana detention facility," ICE said in the post. "The security staff immediately intervened to save his life. Campos violently resisted the security staff and continued to attempt to take his life."
The agency said Lunas Campos stopped breathing and lost consciousness during the struggle. Medical staff made "repeated attempts to resuscitate him," but he was pronounced dead at the detention center, according to ICE.
"ICE takes seriously the health and safety of all those detained in our custody," the agency added. "This is still an active investigation, and more details are forthcoming. ICE investigates the circumstances of all deaths in custody."
Lunas Campos was arrested by immigration authorities in July 2025 "during a planned enforcement operation" in Rochester, New York, according to ICE. He was moved to El Paso on Sept. 6.
The agency said Lunas Campos had a lengthy criminal record, including convictions for criminal possession of a weapon, sexual contact with a child under 11, reckless driving, possession of a controlled substance, and sale of a controlled substance.
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El Paso mayor calls for independent investigation into migrant's death
On Jan. 22, El Paso Mayor Renard Johnsoncalled for a "full, independent investigation"into the death of Lunas Campos. Johnson said "transparency, accountability, and human dignity are non-negotiable values" for the city.
"Recent immigration enforcement activity has also created understandable concern among families in our region," the mayor said. Johnson noted that public safety depends on residents feeling safe accessing services, reporting crimes, and sending their children to school without fear.
Following The Post's report, the American Civil Liberties Union renewed calls for the closure of Camp East Montana. Citing the report, the civil rights organization said Lunas Campos' death will "likely be ruled a homicide due to asphyxiation after a witness at the facility claims they saw guards choke him to death."
"The death of Geraldo Lunas Campos is the latest in a string of preventable deaths by ICE and illustrates a broader pattern of unchecked violence and abuse carried out by ICE against members of our communities on the taxpayer's dime," Haddy Gassama, senior policy counsel at the ACLU, said in a statement.
In December 2025, the ACLU and other human rights groups sent a letter to ICE demanding the closure of Camp East Montana. The letter described allegations of abuse by officers against detained immigrants, medical neglect, and other human rights violations.
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At least 30 people died in ICE custody last year, the highest level in two decades, agency figures show. In the first 10 days of 2026, four immigrants, including Lunas Campos, died while in federal immigration custody.
Lunas Campos was the second migrant to die at the El Paso detention center. There have been at least three deaths at the center since it opened in August 2025.
The most recent death was 36-year-oldVictor Manuel Diaz, a Nicaraguan immigrant, on Jan. 14. Diaz "died of a presumed suicide," ICE said in a Jan. 18 news release.
The first death at the detention center wasFrancisco Gaspar Cristóbal Andrés, 48, a Guatemalan immigrant. He was taken to the hospital on Nov. 16 and died of liver and kidney failure on Dec. 3, according to ICE.
Contributing: Aaron A. Bedoya and Jeff Abbott, El Paso Times; Reuters
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times:Autopsy finds Cuban migrant in ICE custody died of homicide
