A Cuban migrant being detained at an immigration facility in Texas passed away after guards restrained him, causing him to lose consciousness, as per an autopsy report disclosed on Wednesday, determining the death as a homicide.
Geraldo Lunas Campos died on Jan. 3 after a confrontation with guards. Initially, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) stated that the 55-year-old father of four was trying to end his life, and the staff intervened to help him.
However, a witness informed The Associated Press that Lunas Campos was handcuffed while approximately five guards pinned him down, with one applying pressure around his neck until he became unconscious.
According to agency data, at least 30 individuals died while in ICE custody last year, marking the highest figure in twenty years. In the first ten days of 2026, four immigrants, including Lunas Campos, passed away while under federal immigration detention.
Lunas Campos’s demise was the third in less than two months at Camp East Montana, a large tent facility located in the desert at Fort Bliss near El Paso.
Rep. Veronica Escobar, a Democrat representing El Paso, urged Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and acting ICE director Todd M. Lyons to brief Congress on the recent deaths.
The El Paso County Medical Examiner’s Office autopsy report revealed signs of a struggle on Lunas Campos’s body, including chest and knee abrasions, along with neck hemorrhages. Dr. Adam Gonzalez, the deputy medical examiner, attributed the cause of death to asphyxia resulting from compression on the neck and torso.
The report mentioned that witnesses observed Lunas Campos becoming unresponsive while being physically restrained by law enforcement. Dr. Victor Weedn, a forensic pathologist who reviewed the report, stated that the presence of petechial hemorrhages in the eyes supported the conclusion of asphyxia as the cause of death.
ICE’s initial account of the incident did not include details of the altercation with guards. The agency stated that Lunas Campos was moved to a separate cellblock after becoming disruptive, where staff noticed his distress and sought medical assistance. Despite efforts to revive him, Lunas Campos was pronounced dead upon the arrival of paramedics.
The guards involved in the incident were not identified as either government employees or private contractors. Following the initial notification to Lunas Campos’s family that the death might be classified as a homicide, DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin revised the account, asserting that Lunas Campos had attempted suicide and guards intervened to save him.
Lunas Campos was among the initial detainees transferred to Camp Montana East, having been arrested in Rochester, N.Y., where he had resided for over twenty years. ICE detained him in July due to criminal convictions making him eligible for deportation.
Court records from New York revealed that Lunas Campos had previous convictions, including sexual contact with a minor and attempting to sell a controlled substance. After the final autopsy report was made public, DHS reiterated that Lunas Campos was a convicted sex offender.
DHS has not responded to queries regarding potential external law enforcement investigations into the incident.