(Adnkronos) – The death of a man detained in a federal penitentiary facility in Texas, who died in early January, could be investigated as homicide: the medical examiner who examined him reportedly attributed the death as a preliminary cause to “asphyxia due to compression of the neck and chest”. The man, Geraldo Lunas Campos, a 55-year-old Cuban migrant arrested by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in July last year, was pronounced dead on January 3. He was in ICE custody at Camp East Montana, a large encampment at Fort Bliss military base in El Paso.
In a press release about his death, the agency stated that the death occurred “due to health problems,” specifying that the cause is under investigation. Lunas had been convicted of child sexual abuse, firearm possession, and aggravated assault, and the Department of Homeland Security had ‘publicized’ his arrest as one of the victories of Trump’s mass deportation campaign.
However, a document examined and initially reported by the Washington Post indicates that the El Paso County medical examiner’s office reportedly informed a family member of Lunas Campos that the office was preparing to classify the death as homicide, pending the results of a toxicology report. (continues)
Lunas Campos was one of four ICE detainees who died in detention in the first 10 days of the year, and his death is part of a worrying trend: 2025 has been the deadliest year for the agency in over two decades. According to a Guardian investigation, last December was the worst month, with six victims.
Campos is also at least the second person detained at the camp – which has repeatedly come under attack from human rights organizations for reports of abuse and inhumane conditions – to die in recent months. Francisco Gaspar-Andres, a 48-year-old Guatemalan, also detained at Fort Bliss, died in hospital late last year due to health complications.
